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There are few tougher fighters in the UFC than former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker.
The 33-year-old Aussie missed significant time in the prime of his career after having surgery to repair an abdominal hernia and collapsed bowel.
“I wanted to give you all an update on how I’m doing,” Whittaker said at the time “I’m still in the hospital. I had to get emergency surgery on Sunday because I had a collapsed bowel and an internal hernia that was causing me all sorts of problems.
“Let me say that I’m sorry to all my friends and family and fans that came out to watch me perform. But unfortunately I couldn’t be there. I tried my best to try and swing it. I was fighting the doctors the whole way up until they said, ‘You have to get surgery or you’re going to lose part of your bowel.’ Or it could be potentially fatal. I had to look at my health first. I’m sorry, guys.”
Robert Whittaker Suffers Ugly Jaw Injury Against Khamzat Chimaev At UFC 309
But even among tough men, there is only so much pain that a man can take, and Whittaker learned that the hard way on Saturday when he suffered a broken jaw in a loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 309.
The injury occurred as Chimaev locked a rear-naked choke on Whittaker mid-way through the first round. The victory moved the Russian fighter to 14-0 in his MMA career and
“I felt something click in his jaw, I thought it was broken,” Chimaev said of the injury. “That’s when I knew it was in.”
The win makes Chimaev the likely No. 1 contender for Dricus Du Plessis’ UFC middleweight championship. Whittaker, meanwhile, drops his first fight in three tries after consecutive victories over Paulo Costa and Islam Aliskerov.
Meanwhile, the UFC 309 main event featured featherweight champion Ilia Topuria knocking out former champion Max Holloway in his first title defense.