“The teeth got pushed in. I’ve always had loose teeth, and they got looser. It was the face crank,” Robert Whittaker shared during his Red Corner MMA interview while recalling Khamzat Chimaev’s brutal submission attempt. At first glance, many thought ‘The Reaper’s jaw had been shattered. But in reality, it was his tooth that got displaced under the extreme pressure. He had been dealing with dental issues for over a decade, so, ironically, ‘Borz’s neck crank ended up solving a long-standing problem for him. 

Whittaker naturally had to undergo dental surgery, which led to a complete replacement of his bottom row. And turns out—it was even worse than most people could imagine. During an appearance on the MMA Arcade podcast, Whittaker revealed that doctors found a massive hole in his jaw that needed urgent attention. So, you’d expect the medical bills to be off the charts for the former middleweight champ. But apparently not!

Dana White to the rescue for Robert Whittaker’s teeth surgery 

Robert Whittaker didn’t have to break the bank for his surgery because Dana White had his back. The UFC boss covered the cost, treating it as a work-related injury. At the UFC 308 post-fight presser, Dana even admitted, “When your teeth are going [in different directions], it’s not good,” showing genuine concern for the Aussie’s condition. His decision to step in and handle the bills was a classy gesture.  

‘The Reaper’ at the UFC Abu Dhabi media day said, “I’m 100% recovered! Honestly, it wasn’t too long afterward because I just got them taken out, implants put in, and just had to wait for them to settle. If anything, they’re better than they were before. And the price was paid by Uncle Dana—so it’s a work injury.” 

Dana White recently caught some heat for supposedly not helping Ben Askren with his medical expenses—only for it to be revealed at the UFC Nashville post-fight presser that he had helped behind the scenes, just without making it public. This is one of those moments that shows the UFC president does some pretty awesome stuff from time to time. And hey, ‘Bobby Knuckles’ is going to need those new teeth in his next fight. 

Because Reinier de Ridder will definitely be looking to test those new teeth with his fists. Whittaker, on the other hand, has been nothing but excited about the matchup. Stylistically, it’s an intriguing fight for him. So, let’s dive into that.

Robert Whittaker explains why he chose to take the fight against Reinier de Ridder

Reinier de Ridder made a major statement after finishing UFC’s hottest prospect, Bo Nickal, in the co-main event of UFC Des Moines. That win catapulted him to a new level of stardom. And it was big enough to draw a former champ like Robert Whittaker back into the mix, to face what many are already calling a must-see spectacle.

At the UFC Abu Dhabi media day, ‘The Reaper’ gave a straightforward explanation for why he chose to fight Reinier de Ridder instead of Sean Strickland. “Once I saw the way he beat Bo, I knew he’d be making waves and causing some noise at the top,” Whittaker said. “The UFC knew I wanted to fight, but the division was kind of tied up at the time. So, in true UFC fashion, they offered him the fight, and he took it. I was happy to come back and happy to fight him.

And honestly, that’s fair enough. Right now, anyone would jump at the chance to face Reinier de Ridder, especially Robert Whittaker, who’s looking to climb his way back up the middleweight ladder. It’ll be interesting to see how he handles the Dutchman, who already seems to have a game plan in place to take him out.

With that being said, do you see Robert Whittaker bouncing back from that teeth-crushing loss to Khamzat Chimaev with a win over de Ridder? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!