Robert Whittaker claims "Uncle Dana" paid for new teeth after Khamzat Chimaev's brutal face-crank submission at UFC 308

Robert Whittaker is back, fully recovered after getting his bottom teeth cranked by Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308. The former UFC middleweight champion tapped out to a face crank that drove his bottom teeth straight into his mouth.

While it looked like a horrific injury, the damage had been building for years. Whittaker had dealt with cracked molars, failed root canals, and infected gums long before this fight.

Within weeks, he underwent surgery to remove the damaged teeth and replace them with implants. During the procedure, doctors also discovered a large cyst in his jaw, which may have been the root of his recurring dental infections.

Whittaker recently revealed that the full cost of the treatment was covered by the UFC CEO Dana White. Speaking at the pre-fight media scrum ahead of his fight against Reinier de Ridder at UFC Abu Dhabi, the Australian said:

"I'm 100 per cent recovered. Honestly, it wasn't too long afterwards, I just got them taken out. So got implants put in, just had to wait for them to settle. If anything, they are better than before. And the price was paid by Uncle Dana."

Check out Robert Whittaker's comments below (4:00):

Whittaker returns to action to take on de Ridder, who's on a three-fight win streak in the UFC. The Dutch fighter is coming off a statement victory over surging prospect Bo Nickal in May. Meanwhile, Whittaker is 3-2 in his last five fights.

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Robert Whittaker lays out a farewell plan with UFC gold in sight

Robert Whittaker has mapped out his ideal exit. The former UFC middleweight champion is aiming for one final title push before calling time on his career.

It begins this Sunday against Reinier de Ridder. If he wins, Whittaker hopes to build momentum, earn a rematch with Dricus du Plessis, and walk away on top. Speaking in an interview with Fox Sports Australia, he said:

“I want to get the belt and sail off into the sunset. That’s the dream. That’s the plan."

He added:

“You have to have a real good idea of who you are and be quite self-reflective to be able to do it properly so that you don’t end up back in the octagon a year later. I think that’s what I want... I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s like the last 100 metres of the marathon. I can see the end is in sight, and it’s time for that final push.”