Doctors find ‘massive cyst’ during routine surgery on top UFC fighter

Jesse Holland is among the longest-tenured media professionals in the combat sports news space, covering MMA, professional wrestling and boxing on a full-time basis since early 2004.

Former UFC middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker, suffered serious damage in his submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev as part of the UFC 308 pay-per-view (PPV) event last month in Abu Dhabi, with several of his bottom teeth becoming broken and dislodged.

Good riddance, according to “The Reaper.”

“I haven’t been able to bite down on an apple since I was 19,” Whittaker said during his MMArcade Podcast. “[My teeth] have always been bad, and I should’ve dealt with them much sooner. They’re just gone, don’t need them. My life is better without them. Fun fact, though: When they took them out, they found a massive cyst in my jaw, and they think that might have been where the infections were coming from for the teeth. So, everything happens for a reason.”

Apples have been known to take down former UFC champions from time-to-time.

“I’ve always kind of had bad bottom teeth, because I’ve had missing teeth (at the top) for like 10 years plus,” Whittaker said. “But every dentist and their friend were saying always try and keep your real teeth. I should’ve gotten rid of them years ago. The Dricus (Du Plessis) fight, they got pushed in a little bit. I had a cast in there, let them settle, yada yada yada, move on. Then when I fought Ikram (Aliskerov), I had all the infections, had to get four root canals, and I think the teeth had just had it, mate.”

A tough sport to have “vulnerable” teeth.

Whittaker (26-8) is currently ranked No. 4 in the 185-pound division and could be just a couple of victories away from securing another crack at the middleweight title. That could depend on what happens in this pivotal fight scheduled for early February in Riyadh.