Robert Whittaker’s first KO victory since 2017 is even more impressive considering he was on antibiotics during UFC Saudi Arabia fight week.
The former middleweight champion has now come out to explain his side of the story regarding the ‘emergency surgery’ he was forced to undergo just a few weeks before his viral knockout at UFC Saudi Arabia.
Unfortunately, ‘The Reaper’ also confirmed that the condition will likely force him out of any potential backup spot for the upcoming middleweight title fight in Perth, Australia.
Robert Whittaker details surgery two days before flying to Saudi Arabia
Following his first-round knockout of Ikram Aliskerov at UFC Saudi Arabia, Robert Whittaker’s manager agent Titus Day revealed that ‘The Reaper’ underwent emergency surgery only a few weeks before stepping back into the octagon.
“Rob has a really bad abscess that flared up a week before flying out; he had headaches, tooth pain, it was like he’d been kicked in the side of the head,” Day told Fox Sports Australia, adding “He couldn’t train, couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep.”
Speaking via the MainEvent YouTube channel, Whittaker has now acknowledged that whilst “it wasn’t as bad as it sounds,” the condition and consequent double root canal surgery was indeed an extremely painful distraction.
“I think it’s been overhyped but it did hurt though… I had to get two root canals two days before I flew out [to Saudi Arabia] because I had a pretty bad infection in my jaw… It hurt like something- I’d give it a 9.5/10 on the pain scale, it was terrible.
“The biggest thing I was worried about was if I had to get the tooth taken out, if the hole would patch up in weeks leading up to [the fight] – like eating, the weight [cut], and everything else.”
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Such a painful condition might have been a critical ailment for many top-tier fighters preparing for a UFC main event, yet ‘The Reaper’ suggested that the issue might have actually benefited him.
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“It sucked but if anything, it gave me a couple of days off the week before I left and ran the course of antibiotics… By mid-week in Dubai, the pain was gone, and I was able to get back on the mats, maybe that little reprieve helped out.”
Fans of Whittaker had been hopeful that the former middleweight champion could make a quick turnaround to be the backup fighter for the now-confirmed title fight at UFC 305 between Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya. According to the man himself, that’s sadly now highly unlikely.
‘The Reaper’ admits he’s probably not going to return for UFC 305 in Perth
Unfortunately, Whittaker also confirmed that due to the nature of the condition, which still required medical attention after he flew home to Australia, he’ll likely be forced out of the potential back-up spot in Perth.
“When I said yes to everything, my adrenaline was going through the roof and I had totally forgotten that I had a root canal planned for when I got home. Once that was done and I sat down, spoke to the team about it, they reminded me and then I’ve come to my senses.
“I’ve got some mouth work to get done to start but secondly, I’m no one’s replacement fighter – I’m a main event fighter [and] when our paths cross with either DDP or Adesanya, I’ll get the name, they’ll be in the crosshairs, and I’ll train appropriately.”
Interestingly, the fan favorite veteran did note that whilst he’s understandably backtracking on his UFC 305 backup offer due to the timeline on his recovery not matching the upcoming PPV, he’d still like to get one more fight in before the end of 2024.
“I’m not waiting for anything. I’m going to go on holiday to Queensland for a bit with the kids, watch the fights in Perth obviously. But I’d like to get back in there later in the year; October, November, December, around that time but we’ll see what the UFC comes up with.”
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Whittaker stated that he’s already in conversation with the UFC about when his post-surgery return fight could take place.
“I’ve already kind of given them a timeline and I’ve spoken to them about suggestions, ideas for things around but I’m not waiting – time waits for nobody.”
The title fight between Du Plessis and Adesanya is set to take place on August 17, live from the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
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Related Topics
Dricus Du PlessisIsrael AdesanyaMiddleweightRobert WhittakerUFC 305
