Dana White Confirms Jaw Injury Severity After Robert Whittaker's Submission Loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308
10/27/2024 01:24 PM
UFC president Dana White has confirmed the severity of Robert Whittaker's jaw injury following his submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev.
Last night, Robert Whittaker tasted defeat in brutal fashion. He was submitted by Khamzat Chimaev in the first round, bringing an end to his latest push for a UFC middleweight championship opportunity. Moving forward, there are plenty of question marks regarding his future and what his next steps will be.
The most concerning part, though, is the injury he sustained. 'The Reaper' was quick to tap when he was put in a face crank by 'Borz', leaving many to question why he decided to submit so rapidly. As it turns out, his jaw was completely dislodged by Chimaev, who is now expected to receive a title shot himself.
During the post-fight press conference, Dana White confirmed that Robert Whittaker had suffered a nasty injury.
Dana White confirms Robert Whittaker injury
“As soon as that happened, I picked up the phone and I called the truck and they’re like ‘yeah, his jaw popped’ so I knew what had happened…he popped his jaw… and the teeth got all messed up, Rob [Whittaker] has that right now.”
White then revealed that he spoke briefly with Khamzat in the aftermath of his big win.
“I just said congratulations, great fight, and we’ll talk to you soon.”
Quotes via Sportskeeda
Robert Whittaker is an absolute stud and that much goes without saying. Alas, even with all of the support in the world, this is going to be a tough one for him to bounce back from.
He's likely to remain at middleweight if and when we do see him compete again but given this loss, alongside his defeat to Dricus du Plessis, you have to wonder whether or not we'll ever see him challenge for a championship belt again in the UFC.