Whittaker underwent surgery before his fight with Aliskerov

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker had to undergo surgery for a tooth abscess a few weeks before his fight against Dagestan Ikram Aliskerov. This was revealed by the Australian's manager Titus Day.

"Rob had a very bad tooth abscess that worsened a week before he was due to fly to Riyadh. The whole side of his head was hurting, so we rushed Rob to the emergency room for surgery.

He had stopped training a few days before the surgery in Sydney and then flew to Saudi Arabia with his face still numb. We were all worried, praying for the swelling to go down. Thankfully it did, but he still had the pain to this day. Therefore, in the next few weeks he will need to lie down for additional surgery," - quotes the manager MMA Mania.

Recall that June 22 Whittaker knocked out Aliskerov in the first round. The fight was the main event of the tournament UFC on ABC 6 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.