Whittaker Says His Jaw Wasn’t Broken After UFC 308
Robert Whittaker’s first-round submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 in October 2024 caused a serious dental injury. Whittaker clarified afterward that his jaw was not broken: Chimaev’s face crank pushed Whittaker’s already vulnerable lower teeth inward. Whittaker later underwent dental surgery and returned to competition, most recently stopping Nikita Krylov in July 2026.
What happened in the Chimaev fight
Chimaev took Whittaker down early in their UFC 308 middleweight co-main event and finished a face-crank submission at 3:34 of round one. The hold compressed Whittaker’s lower teeth, which were already an area of concern. Whittaker later said he had dealt with similar problems before, including teeth being pushed inward in his 2023 bout with Dricus du Plessis.
Images of Whittaker’s mouth after the fight led to speculation that Chimaev had broken his jaw. Whittaker corrected that initial impression in a post-fight interview: he said his jaw was fine, but his bottom teeth had been displaced. That distinction matters because the injury and treatment were dental rather than a confirmed jaw fracture.
Dental surgery and recovery
Whittaker later had several damaged lower teeth removed and implants placed. He described the procedure as a way to finally address longstanding problems with the teeth, not simply a temporary repair from one fight. He returned to training and fought again in 2025 after recovering.
Back in competition
Whittaker’s career continued after the UFC 308 setback. At UFC 329 on July 11, 2026, he made his light heavyweight debut and stopped Nikita Krylov with strikes at 1:01 of the third round. The dental injury did not end his career, although his subsequent move to a new weight class represents a separate chapter in his fighting history.
The UFC 308 incident was a painful collision between a high-pressure submission and a previously vulnerable area. Whittaker’s own account clarifies what was injured, how it was treated, and why early online assumptions about a broken jaw were inaccurate.
Sources: MMA Fighting: Whittaker clarifies the injury; BBC Sport: dental surgery and recovery; UFC: Whittaker stops Krylov.
