No wonder [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] quickly tapped at UFC 308.
Whittaker (27-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) sustained serious damage to his jaw and teeth, according to a photograph shared by [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag] at the tail-end of the pay-per-view broadcast Saturday.
While the exact injury is unclear, the photo shows Whittaker’s front bottom teeth dislodged awkwardly back toward his throat inside his mouth, filled with blood.
The damage sustained came during his first-round submission loss to [autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag] (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in Saturday’s co-main event at Eithad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
Chimaev immediately dragged Whittaker to the ground and relentlessly smothered him, until he got a grip and squeezed. A face crank resulted in a quick tap from Whittaker, at 3:34 of Round 1.
Check out an image of the damage done (via Daniel Cormier/ESPN MMA broadcast) below:
Daniel Cormier shows a picture on the broadcast of Robert Whittaker's mouth/jaw from Khamzat Chimaev's squeeze at #UFC308 😳 pic.twitter.com/RbCJC0jtDC
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) October 26, 2024
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.