'who Needs Teeth?' Returning Whittaker Laughs Off Gruesome Injury

It has been 9 months since Robert Whittaker suffered 1 of nan much unsettling injuries to hap successful nan UFC.

During his conflict pinch Khamzat Chimaev successful Abu Dhabi successful October, Whittaker submitted to a look crank - a clasp which put unit connected nan Australian's jaw, causing his bottommost teeth to cave in.

Hours later a ghastly X-ray showing nan harm done to nan 34-year-old's teeth went viral connected societal media, but Whittaker says nan acquisition wasn't arsenic bad arsenic fans made it retired to be.

"I'm knowledgeable pinch teeth issues, truthful it wasn't excessively bad for me," laughs Whittaker.

"It didn't tickle. But erstwhile it happened it didn't wounded anyplace adjacent arsenic overmuch arsenic pushing them backmost and getting them wired together to make nan travel home. That was yuck... painful."

Whittaker laughs jovially erstwhile he recalls nan infinitesimal he arrived location successful Australia to his woman and kids.

"It was cool being capable to show nan kids each nan metallic successful my mouth. The kids for nan adjacent mates of months put my teeth successful their prayers, truthful that was cool," he adds.

Whittaker says he first injured his teeth erstwhile he was 19 and "young and dumb" and "mucking astir connected nan town".

The incident weakened his bottommost teeth, meaning Whittaker hadn't been capable to wound down connected an pome for astir 15 years.

He injured them again erstwhile they were "pushed back" during his conclusion by Dricus du Plessis successful 2023, earlier Chimaev later dislodged them, which required surgery.

"I went in, sewage put to sleep, woke up. All better. I sewage 4 to six teeth taken out, but nan large point is I sewage implants put in," says Whittaker.

"After getting nan implants and getting them [the teeth] replaced, I should person done it overmuch much sooner. My life is overmuch better. But who needs teeth anyway?"

Dental implants are artificial replacements for bony roots, which are usually made of metal, which enactment arsenic support successful nan jaw for nan teeth Whittaker had replaced.

Whittaker's first conflict pinch his caller teeth is against Dutch middleweight Reinier de Ridder successful Abu Dhabi connected Saturday.

Whittaker is simply a erstwhile UFC middleweight champion who has won 17 of his 23 fights since joining nan promotion successful 2012.

He is presently 5th successful nan UFC's middleweight rankings, demonstrating sporting longevity astatine nan apical which is matched by few.

Although Whittaker says regaining nan title - which he mislaid to Israel Adesanya successful 2019 and is now held by Du Plessis - remains a goal, it his not his biggest driver immoderate more.

"I've sewage thing to prove, there's conscionable things that I'm moving for. I'm starring by illustration for my kids and immoderate different jock that wants to look up to me," says Whittaker.

"I've been successful nan crippled truthful long, what drives maine to beryllium amended and push arsenic difficult arsenic I do, is nan kids."

De Ridder is fighting successful only his 4th UFC bout aft joining nan organisation past year.

He is 34 for illustration Whittaker, but has spent overmuch of his profession successful chap MMA promotion One Championship, wherever he is simply a erstwhile middleweight and light-heavyweight champion.

"De Ridder is going to beryllium looking to unit maine and return maine down to nan crushed and make maine uncomfortable," said Whittaker.

"I want to get my hands connected him and dream for a speedy 1 but I've been training for a 25-minute slugfest."