Whittaker says loose teeth were behind early tap-out at UFC 308

Robert Whittaker has explained why he tapped out quickly against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on Sunday (AEDT), with the Australian saying the first-round submission was because his teeth moved in.

“My jaw is good, but my teeth were moved in,” Whittaker said in a post on Instagram.

“It’s a good excuse to fix them properly now haha.”

Top online bookmakers had Whittaker pegged as a +185 underdog heading into UFC 308, but the way he submitted was surprising, with a rapid tap out when Chimaev got him in a face crank.

A photo shared online after the fight revealed that Whittaker’s jaw appeared to be broken and his teeth were floating back in his mouth.

“It wasn’t the jaw. It was the teeth,” Whittaker further explained in a post-fight interview.

“The teeth got pushed in.

“I’ve kind of always had loose teeth and they got looser.

“It was the face crank. His forearm went straight on the bottom tooth.

“I didn’t even have a moment to turn the head or anything. It was on.

“It is what it is.

“I had them pushed in before when I fought Dricus [du Plessis] as well and they’ve never really recovered.

“It was from an injury when I was young.”

The loss to Chimaev was Whittaker’s third in six fights, putting another title fight out of the Australian’s reach for now.

“It’s a tough gig sometimes but that’s the business,” he said.

“Big congratulations to Khamzat, he was the better man tonight and that’s all there is to it.

“I’m disappointed, but I come back better from every setback and every challenge so this is no different.”

Fellow fighters were quick to applaud Whittaker’s effort, however.

“You’re an absolute warrior and someone to look up to brother. You’ll be back speedy recovery,” said middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis.

“Another example of why you’re an absolute f***ing legend. I look forward to the comeback,” posted commentator and former fighter Michael Bisping.

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