“My jaw is good, but my teeth were moved in. It’s a good excuse to fix them properly now,” Robert Whittaker wrote in a statement after his bout against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308. While no one expected ‘Borz’ to have such a dominant win against Whittaker, no one expected him to mess up Whittaker’s teeth, either. However, the middleweight champion, Dricus Du Plessis, has a completely different take on this. What did he say?

In a new interview with Submission Radio, DDP discussed the bout between Whittaker and Chimaev. Talking about the submission, the host said Chimaev was the one to crush Whittaker’s teeth. But the champion brought forth his facts. “That is not true. I am the one that crushed Robert’s teeth,” he stated.

“I didn’t even know it. Rob said it, I didn’t know it and I thought ‘Geez that s**ks. But Rob is the one who made that known that it was actually in our fight where he got for the first time.”

Well, DDP fought ‘The Reaper’ at UFC 290 (2023) and won via TKO (punches) in the second round. While the champion was dominant against the Aussie fighter, Chimaev submitting him was a big thing as well. After all, no one ever submitted Whittaker in the UFC before him. But speaking about his injuries, DDP further opined:

“To be quite honest with you, Rob had those problems and he was fighting, was active after that fight [UFC 290]. So, I don’t think, you know, with the camp, back-to-back camps, with the way that Rob fought those two times and was in camp the whole time. So I think that was the problem. He didn’t get enough time to really recover. And I think a lot of guys really feel the pressure to fight even when they are not in shape or not healthy to fight.”

Well, one can’t disagree with DDP’s opinions. Whittaker fought thrice in 2024:

MMA fighters are prone to injuries. Had Whittaker taken enough time between fights, there is a possibility that the outcome of his bout against Chimaev could have been different. The 33-year-old tapped in the first round itself, which came as a surprise to many out there. But there are more layers to this.

The first-round submission was surprising also because Khamzat Chimaev has been dealing with health issues and no one expected him to show such dominance against a formidable opponent like Robert Whittaker.

Khamzat Chimaev’s health woes can’t stop him…

‘Borz’ for a long time had been facing multiple health issues, forcing him to stay out of action. But his most recent illness caused a lot of delay in his return to the octagon. Chimaev versus Whittaker was supposed to happen earlier this year, but the former had to pull out after falling “violently ill”.

He was then replaced by Aliskerov. And when Chimaev versus Whittaker was about to take place finally, people expected ‘Borz’ to look vulnerable—like when he fought Gilbert Burns at UFC 273. Back then, Chimaev looked sluggish and tired as they fought for all three rounds. Not many fighters have had the opportunity to face the wolf and survive all rounds.

Regardless, his performance against Whittaker has pushed his name as one of the biggest title contenders in the division. He is currently ranked #3.

While Sean Strickland ranks #1 and eyeing a title shot against DDP, people seem more excited about potentially seeing Chimaev fight for the title. In the end, it is Dana White’s and the matchmakers’ decision.

Do you want to see Chimaev fight Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight title? Let us know in the comments below.