One of UFC 308’s most memorable moments happened in the co-main event when Khamzat Chimaev submitted Robert Whittaker in the first round. In the closing moments of the broadcast, commentator Daniel Cormier shared a graphic photo of the aftermath.
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The image showed Robert Whittaker’s jaw bloodied with three teeth appearing out of place. Shortly afterwards, a sports medicine doctor took to his popular YouTube channel to break down exactly what happened to the former middleweight champion.
Dr. Brian Sutterer described the finish as “so strong and powerful that this actually broke Whittaker’s lower jaw.” His assessment refuted the initial speculation that Robert Whittaker’s jaw was merely dislocated.
While Chimaev appeared to be going for a rear naked choke, his left arm wrapped around Whittaker’s lower jaw and not his neck. “As Khamzat is applying this choke, essentially, he just grabs onto Whittaker’s lower chin and cranks backwards so severely that it doesn’t choke him out. It results in a break of his jaw,” he said.
Dr. Sutterer offered an even more gruesome explanation for Robert Whittaker’s three teeth in the picture.
“These three teeth in the front are displaced into his mouth because his jaw is fractured. So that’s not just that the teeth fell out. The teeth are actually still attached to that lower portion where they’re anchored into the jaw. But the jaw is broken in a way that’s caused his teeth to completely displace backwards into his mouth. It’s not like these teeth just fell out or knocked out. No, the whole anchor sight for those teeth broke causing [those] teeth to displace posterior.”
Robert Whittaker: ‘It’s a Tough Gig Sometimes’
According to Dr. Sutterer, Robert Whittaker will need “some type of surgery to put those teeth, that bone back in place. Plate, potentially braces, across the teeth. [It’s a] real possibility here that Whittaker might end up having his jaw wired shut for some time.”
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The former champ seems to be taking the loss and injury in stride. Early Sunday morning, he posted a statement to Instagram congratulating Chimaev and giving the cliff notes of his injury.
“My jaw is good, but my teeth were moved in. It’s a good excuse to fix them property now,” he joked. “Time to go spend time with the family. Be back soon,” the caption concluded.
According to Healthline, the recovery time for most jaw fractures is between four to eight weeks. However, those that require surgery can take up to several months.
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