really feels like rain.
At In October, Whittaker suffered a horrific injury . The injury was one of the worst of the year, and while fans may have expected a long layoff for the former middleweight champion, he is apparently already doing much better.
On his speaking MMArcade Podcast On Tuesday, Whittaker spoke about the injury, explaining that although Chimaev had his teeth pulled out, his teeth had been a problem for years.
“I’ve always had bad teeth in my lower jaw,” Whittaker said. “I have been missing teeth for more than 10 years. That's why I've always been a little unsettled because they're not stable. It is not a complete cycle, but rather half. over the years, trauma whatever, I don't know. It was something every dentist had to deal with: 'Try to keep your real teeth.' Keep your real teeth.' I should have gotten rid of her years ago.
“But the Dricus [du Plessis] fight… they got a little cornered when I fought Dricus. I had to deal with it, they had to be pushed back, I had a cast there, let them calm down, yada yada yada, keep going. Then when I fought Ikram [Aliskerov]I had all these infections. I had to get four root canals. And I think the teeth had just done it. I think they've just had enough. Enough is enough. [Laughs]. I don't think anything was holding its teeth anymore.
“But anyway, his forearm goes right over the bottom teeth and they move immediately. Then the pressure afterwards, they were gone. They just went back inside. Everyone and their friends saw the photos. …
“My teeth just went in and I couldn’t fight my way out. I could feel my teeth in the middle of my mouth. I was done. And hats off to Chimaev. The guy had a plan, went in, executed it for some reason, and got the W.
“It's annoying. I don’t like losing like that, but it is what it is.”
While the injury definitely looked terrible – and Whittaker even joked about it publishing the photo – it wasn’t all bad. Given his long-standing issues with them, Whittaker says he would eventually have his teeth removed anyway, so in a strange way there is a silver lining to this loss.
“You know what? I'll even go so far as to say Chimaev did me a favor,” Whittaker said. “He got rid of the teeth.
“The fear of hurting my lower teeth, of them moving – that’s always been crap. I haven't been able to bite into an apple since I was 19. They've always been bad. I should have taken care of her.
“They’re just gone. I don't need them. My life is better without her. Fun fact: When they took it out, they found a huge cyst in my jaw. Apparently they believe that the tooth infections could come from there. So everything happens for a reason.”
Whittaker added that he is already back in the gym and feeling good, but he is in no rush to get back into action. The former middleweight champion instead said he plans to enjoy a proper vacation with his family before targeting a return in the summer of 2025.
“I'll give it some time. “I’m not going to rush the next fight because there are some things I want to address,” Whittaker said. “…I probably want to go back in June. June? End of May? I don't know. We'll play with the dates next year. …”
“I’ll be 34 in December,” Whittaker continued. “I still do, I feel like I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. I still have a few goals that I want to achieve. Like I said, I'm building some new skills. But that's just how I see things. Every obstacle and every setback just makes me stronger, it makes the comeback better. I'm looking forward to getting back in there. I enjoy training. I’m excited to see what I could be next.”
