Robert Whittaker releases first statement after brutal jaw-breaking loss at UFC 308

Robert Whittaker wants fans to know you haven’t seen the last of him.

The former UFC middleweight champion came out on the wrong end of a nasty submission Saturday at UFC 308 as he had his jaw crushed by undefeated contender Khamzat Chimaev. It was just the second time in Whittaker’s legendary career that he lost via tap-out and the first time since 2011, well before his UFC stardom.

Afterwards, Whittaker released a statement on the result via Instagram.

“It’s a tough gig sometimes but that’s the business,” Whittaker wrote. “Big congratulations to Khamzat, he was the better man tonight and that’s all there is to it. I felt great, everything was on point and I was ready.

“My jaw is good, but my teeth were moved in. It’s a good excuse to fix them properly now. I’m disappointed, but I come back better from every setback and every challenge so this is no different.”

Whittaker had been working to earn another shot at the UFC middleweight title and entered Saturday on a two-fight win streak with convincing performances against Ikram Aliskerov and Paulo Costa. Now, the 33-year-old finds himself going back to the drawing board and needing some serious rest time after the loss to Chimaev.

See Whittaker’s unedited comments below:

Thank you everyone for all the love and support. It’s a tough gig sometimes but that’s the business. Big congratulations to Khamzat, he was the better man tonight and that’s all there is to it. I felt great, everything was on point and I was ready. My jaw is good, but my teeth were moved in. It’s a good excuse to fix them properly now haha. I’m disappointed, but I come back better from every setback and every challenge so this is no different. I want to thank my team and everyone who supported me to get here. Time to go spend time with the family for a bit. Be back soon

In a separate interview with Red Corner MMA, Whittaker revealed that the submission from Chimaev actually exposed an issue he’s had with his teeth in the past. It turns out that was what really caused him to tap out so quickly rather than Chimaev potentially dislocating his jaw with the face crank.

“It wasn’t the jaw. It was the teeth,” Whittaker said. “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.”