Robert Whittaker reveals it took months to fully heal from gruesome Khamzat Chimaev injury
The former UFC middleweight champion suffered a horrific first-round submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev this past October, a defeat which resulted in a broken jaw for Whittaker and shattered three of his bottom teeth from Chimaev's squeeze. "Bobby Knuckles" is now fully recovered and on the rebound, but before he competes in this weekend's UFC Abu Dhabi main event against Reinier de Ridder, Whittaker revealed it took several months to fully heal from the gruesome scene.
"Perfect, mate. Better than before," Whittaker said of his teeth and jaw on Monday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show." "I just got them taken out, the teeth. I got implants put in, and it took them a little while to set and settle. Now that that's all done, I've had plenty of time. Like I said, better than ever."
Whittaker vs. Chimaev was essentially an unofficial title eliminator that led to the latter's championship bout against UFC middleweight king Dricus du Plessis on Aug. 16 at UFC 319.
Whittaker also previously fought du Plessis in July 2023, infamously losing in an upset that, at least in the moment, was considered fairly surprising. When assessing the matchup between his two former opponents, Whittaker believes the paths to victory are clear for each.
"Chimaev is going to get him to the ground," Whittaker said. "If he doesn't finish him there, I don't think he wins. That's just how I feel. If you can't get Dricus out in the first, which Chimaev can do — first-round finishes is his thing, right? — but if he doesn't get him out of there, I think Dricus looks good, very promising. He's a guy that if you don't get rid of, he kind of wins."
At age 34, Whittaker remains a top contender at 185 pounds and can reestablish himself in the hunt by turning back another surging contender with the aforementioned de Ridder fight.
That being said, Whittaker knows his clock is ticking to make one final title run — which in Whittaker's mind, would be the ideal capstone on the Aussie legend's potentially Hall of Fame career.
"Realistically, I only want to fight for a couple more years. There's other things I want to do still. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I understand it is my last big push, the last sprint, last one hundred meters of the race. Let's get in there, get a few more fights in. I can see the path to the gold, and the dream is that fairytale ending. Everything goes into this.
"Sailing off into the sunset as the champ [would be perfect]."
Whittaker has been a mainstay of the middleweight division since 2014 and has been nearly flawless throughout that run. His only losses came against championship-caliber competition: Du Plessis, Chimaev and Israel Adesanya. Depending on how many wins it might take to get Whittaker back to a title fight, he could realistically be staring at a rematch with either man in UFC 319's championship bout.
While the Chimaev loss may have been the worst of his recent two setbacks, especially optically, his second-round stoppage loss to du Plessis is still the one haunting Whittaker most. If he had it his way, closing out his run in MMA with redemption against the South African would be a dream come true.
"Honestly, I think Dricus is the sort of guy that will lose to himself," Whittaker said. "The way he fights. I think it's obvious with every fight, it's very heavily mindset driven. Especially for him. He's tough as nails and he never quits. He beats a lot of people on the backs of him not going anywhere. I think the day that he can't push, the day that he can't find that, is the day that he might lose. He's got a head of steel, he's a tough guy, he's strong, he's physically fit, he puts in the work.
"I'd like to fight him again. That would be the icing on the cake. ... Honestly, I do think I'm better than him. I think I'm better than everybody, even when I lose, right? It's mainly that in our first pairing, I let myself down in that fight, and I want to correct that. I didn't have the right headspace to go and beat him.
"I want to correct that more than any of my other losses. That's the fight I didn't like feeling like that."
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Wout van Aert soloed to victory in stage 21 of the 2025 Tour de France on Sunday — dropping Tadej Pogacar on the final ascent of the newly-added Montmartre climb. The Belgian star proved the strongest as torrential rain swept through Paris and turned the final day into a dramatic battle of attrition. Advertisement The irrepressible Pogacar — who sparked much of the drama in the stage — crossed the line in fourth place to seal his fourth overall Tour de France title, at the age of 26. There were the usual final-day pleasantries in the first half of the stage: group photos, friendly chats and a pace that any amateur could happily match. While that was going on news emerged that, due to the wet weather expected in the French capital, general classification times would be taken on the fourth crossing of the finish line. In other words, before the three ascents and descents of the atmospheric but perilously-cobbled Côte de la Butte Montmartre. 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The third and final ascent began as expected, with the yellow jersey stringing out the group on the early slopes, but as they reached the steep section near the top, Van Aert did what his team leader Jonas Vingegaard could not do all race; he dropped Pogacar. 🔥🔥🔥 @WoutvanAert DROPS @TamauPogi in the last climb up Montmartre ! 🔥🔥🔥 🔥🔥🔥 WOUT VAN AERT DISTANCE POGACAR 🔥🔥🔥#TDF2025 — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 27, 2025 Van Aert's biggest challenge in the final run-in was staying upright on the drenched Parisian streets. He did so adroitly, taking a popular and iconic win alone, the 10th stage win of his Tour de France career but the first since 2022. Pogacar, who took on the challenge of this stage in a manner that surely no yellow jersey since Bernard Hinault would have done, deserves huge praise too for his contribution to what was a sensational finale to this year's race. Jacob Whitehead and Duncan Alexander break down the key moments from an epic stage. Find all of The Athletic's Tour de France coverage here. Or follow Global Sports on The Athletic app via the Discover tab. Wout van Aert has won on the Champs-Élysées before, but that has about the relevance of saying he once won a two-wheeled race. Sunday's finish was a totally different proposition — but if anything more suited to his rare skillset. In riding away from Pogacar on Montmartre, the Belgian underscored why he is still one of the best racers in the world. This has not been a vintage Tour for Van Aert. Visma Lease-a-Bike were roundly beaten in the GC battle, while his best result was second in a sprint finish. For some time, it didn't seem as if he would ever be back here. 2023 and 2024 were nightmare years with injuries. His right knee is cross-stitched with scars that tell the story of suffering, for one thing, but also the hard work needed to come back. His win in Siena at the Giro showed his enduring class, but another Tour appeared to be slipping by. 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By the time the race reached Montmartre for a second time the heavens had opened but Pogacar's approach remained the same: full effort, major carnage. Only Jorgenson, van Aert, Trentin and Ballerini could keep up; only a rider as skilled as Mohoric could descend at speed on soaking wet cobbles to bridge the gap and make it a front six. Advertisement And if the first two ascents had not convinced everyone, then the sight of Wout van Aert rolling back the years and pulling clear of the valiant Pogacar on the third ascent surely sealed the deal. The crowd — most of whom had been locked into their positions for hours — howled even louder. This was cycling drama at its purest, and dampest. There will be understandable calls from fans for this new route to become the standard template for the Tour's final stage. It will be highly tempting for the organizers too, once they sit down and review the drama that unfolded today. 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This has been a Tour which has at times been light on drama, but which may be remembered as the cornerstone of Pogacar's legacy. This was the month he went toe-to-toe with his greatest rival, both in perfect condition — and was a resounding champion. We've had cattle herds and crosswinds, the Mur and Mont Ventoux, and been witness to stage wins and crushing disappointment. The Tour is a cross-section of this sport's rich tapestry. Thanks so much for your support and comments as we covered the race as The Athletic for the first time. There will be few more post-race articles to come over the next couple of days, so look out for those. We'll also have further coverage of the Femmes over the next week from my colleague Jess Hopkins — we hope you stick with us. Jacob Whitehead 💪 The #TDF2025 Super combative : 🇮🇪 Ben Healy 💪 Le Super combatif du #TDF2025 : 🇮🇪 Ben Healy 👋 @century21fr — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 27, 2025 For more cycling, follow Global Sports on The Athletic app via the Discover tab
