Robert Whittaker sheds light on emergency surgery he had 24-hours before flying to UFC Saudi Arabia: “There was no fear of pulling out"
Robert Whittaker defeated highly-rated middleweight prospect Ikram Aliskerov in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia on June 22. 'The Reaper' accepted the bout on short-notice after his original opponent, Khamzat Chimaev, was forced out of the clash due to illness.
However, in the days since the Australian's incredible first-round knockout it was revealed that he too suffered health problems ahead of fight night. Whittaker's agent released a statement sharing details of an abscess in the middleweight's mouth that left him in unbearable pain.
The former champion ended up requiring emergency surgery 24 hours before his flight from Australia to Saudi Arabia. However, 'The Reaper' made no indication that he was struggling with adverse effects during the fight week leading up to his clash with Aliskerov.
He was recently interviewed by From The Stands, where he was asked to share some details of the incident. In Whittaker's typical stoic fashion, he downplayed the entire ordeal, saying this:
"I don't want to make a big deal out of it. That's why I didn't even bring it up... It hurt, I've never really have jaw pain or tooth pain like that. It took three or four days to get over. It just hurt, there was no fear of pulling out or anything like that. Once everything went up, I went straight to the dentist. I was like, 'Make it go away.'"
He continued:
"There was worries that I was going to be healing up until the fight. 'Cause if we have to rip out a tooth... I got two root canals the day before I flew out."
Watch Robert Whittaker's interview below (4:45):
Dana White welcomes Robert Whittaker as back-up for Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya
UFC 305 is scheduled to take place in Perth, Australia, and will be headlined by a grudge match between middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis and former champion Israel Adesanya.
Following Robert Whittaker's impressive KO victory over Ikram Aliskerov, he has launched himself right back into the title picture, and would be eager to serve as the back-up fighter for Du Plessis vs. Adesanya.
Following UFC Saudi Arabia, the promotion's CEO Dana White appeared in front of the media, where he was asked about the possibility of 'The Reaper' featuring as the emergency replacement for UFC 305's main event. He said this:
"We would love to have him."
Watch Dana White discuss Robert Whittaker being at UFC 305 below (1:00):