"I broke my jaw" - Robert Whittaker ironically spoke about 14-year-old injury before UFC 308 that became his "Achilles heel" against Khamzat Chimaev
It appears Robert Whittaker spoke about his vulnerable jaw just before his ill-fated fight against Khamzat Chimaev last weekend. Whittaker seemingly suffered a gruesome jaw injury as a 19-year-old boy, which ultimately became the reason he grew out a goatee beard.
Whittaker went up against Chimaev at UFC 308 in a middleweight clash at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi this past weekend. Despite many expecting the former UFC champion to push Chimaev to his limits, the Chechen-born fighter's wrestling proved too much for the Australian to handle.
'Borz' caught Whittaker in a face-crank submission in the first round, and the Australian tapped without delay. While many were surprised at how quickly Whittaker tapped out, it was later revealed that Chimaev's grip pushed his bottom-row teeth in, causing extreme pain.
Ironically, Whittaker had opened up about having injured his jaw as a teenager just days before his UFC 308 fight. During an interview with Nina-Marie Daniele, Whittaker outlined how an injury required metal plates to be inserted into his jaw, which caused significant swelling. Explaining growing the goatee, he said:
"Funny story. So, when I was 19, I broke my jaw and shattered all my teeth, and they had to put a metal plate there... If you have a metal plate anywhere, it bulges. So I kinda had a bulge on my jaw, and it looked funny, so I grew the goatee out to hide it and never shaved it off."
Robert Whittaker addresses "Achilles heel" after UFC 308 loss against Khamzat Chimaev
Robert Whittaker recently addressed his first-round submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 and vowed to bounce back. While many speculated that Chimaev may have broken Whittaker's jaw, it was later revealed that the Australian's ongoing jaw issue did him no favors during the fight.
Speaking to Red Corner MMA, Whittaker opened up about his quick submission and shared an update on his jaw injury. He said:
"I'm alright, it wasn't the jaw, it was the teeth. The teeth got pushed in. I've always had loose teeth, and they got looser. It was the face crank. His forearm went straight on the bottom tooth, I didn't have a moment to turn the head or anything... It’s my Achilles heel. I’ve had them pushed in before when I fought Dricus [du Plessis], and they’ve never really recovered."