Robert Whittaker has resumed no-contact training following surgery to repair his lower jaw, but his return to competition may be delayed until June 2025 due to the possibility of another minor surgical procedure.
Whittaker suffered a first-round submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev in a middleweight title eliminator at UFC 308. The fight ended abruptly when Whittaker sustained a lower jaw injury from Chimaev’s face crank submission, temporarily halting his championship aspirations.
In a recent interview with Sherdog, Whittaker’s coach, Alex Prates, provided an update on the fighter’s recovery. Prates explained that Whittaker returned to training on Monday, but is currently focused on non-contact activities. “He’s doing Muay Thai, running, everything — but without contact,” Prates stated. He also noted that Whittaker might require a second surgery to remove bone fragments from his elbow, which would add another month to his recovery timeline. Despite this, the goal remains a return to the Octagon by June 2025.
Whittaker had previously mentioned that his front teeth had been loose since an injury at the age of 19, and the condition worsened during his UFC 290 fight against Dricus Du Plessis. Prates emphasized this in the interview, explaining that Chimaev’s face crank directly caused the front teeth to break, necessitating further surgery. “His middle teeth were unstable since the fight with Dricus [Du Plessis]. Chimaev’s [face crank] was exactly on top of these three front teeth that broke immediately,” Prates said.
The severity of Whittaker’s injury had caused concern among fans, particularly when images of his damaged jaw went viral. Dr. Erian Sutterer, a well-known sports physician, offered an analysis of the injury during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show. He explained that the injury wasn’t a typical jaw fracture but a break in the lower portion of the jaw where the teeth are anchored. “What we were seeing in that picture was just absolutely terrible… It’s not a true jaw fracture like we typically think about in combat sports, but you still have a break in the lower portion of the jaw,” Sutterer explained.
Whittaker’s path to recovery continues, with the fighter remaining determined to return to the Octagon in the coming year. However, the additional elbow surgery and the long recovery process following his jaw surgery could push his return further into 2025.
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