Is Whitaker's chin compromised?

[xhaydenx]

DDP ain't exactly known for starching guys like he did to Whitaker.

lol DDP is more known for absolutely flattening people out of nowhere. The guy has crazy power.

The fact that Whittaker didn't go down quite so easy makes me think his chin is fine.

The reality is at MW, if any of these guys take some of the shots Whittaker has taken, they're gonna get rocked or KOd the same way. Like, Vettori is known as some super durable guy, but if Izzy hit him with that same combo he put Rob out with, he would have been out as well.

 

[kuf]

No man can go through such a tough lineup of opponents at the top for many years with his chin in tact.

He ain't got nothing to worry about at the moment though, being booked against Costa is great for a fighter's recovery; you just get in good shape and then catch a flight to watch some fights cage side once he inevitably pulls out on fight week.

 

[Striker Fox]

This was deeper than this site can comprehend lol

 

[Hezekiah]

It's been compromised for a while now, but DDP hits like a truck.

Yep, hasn't been good for a while but the difference in power and strength between him and du Plessis was stark. Whittaker looked shocked at the end of round one.

 

[StonedLemur]

Lol

 

[HatKick]

It absolutely is and has been for a while. Only reason he's not getting knocked out left and right is because his defense has been superb since he lost his belt. But you gotta be able to take some clean shots and that's a problem for Rob. If his chin was stronger I believe he would've beaten Dricus and Adesanya in the rematch.

 

[Pancake Sprawl]

no. he's never had an iron chin and his defense is based on his speed and distance. i think him being slower is a much bigger factor than his chin is. his style has totally changed from what it used to be because of his speed decline.

 

[DomiDomi]

He never had a good chin to begin with sadly. I know people will blame the weight cut to WW but if you're getting KO'd by Wonderboy's punches your chin is questionable.

Surviving the 2nd fight with Yoel was crazy but that's recovery and hanging on for dear life when hurt rather than a show of great chin.

The worrying thing for me is he's getting wobbled by jabs. Cannonier had him all over the place with a jab, and DDP basically finished him with a jab.

 

[ProPROpro]

The two Romero fights destroyed it

 

[flektarn]

His chin isn't that great. He got rocked in the Till fight, the Cannonier fight, TKO'd by Dricus. It seems in just about every fight with a competent striker he gets wobbled once. And ofc izzy has sat him down a few times.

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

Too soon to say.

 

[Portland8242]

He never had a good chin to begin with sadly. I know people will blame the weight cut to WW but if you're getting KO'd by Wonderboy's punches your chin is questionable.

Surviving the 2nd fight with Yoel was crazy but that's recovery and hanging on for dear life when hurt rather than a show of great chin.

The worrying thing for me is he's getting wobbled by jabs. Cannonier had him all over the place with a jab, and DDP basically finished him with a jab.

There's way more evidence to show that his chin was fine at 185 before Romero. He's fought guys and gotten hit, and he could take it. After Romero, the pullout from the Gastelum fight, and then getting KO'd by Izzy. If Cannonier hits him with that punch pre Romero I gaurantee you Rob isn't panic clinching.

 

[Morning Star]

I never thought Whittaker had an amazing chin, just amazing recovery and heart kind of like Frankie. The problem now is he's getting old and he's not going to be able to recover the same anymore.

 

[sdpdude9]

I think he’s more just a good but not great striker with holes in his defense. Good enough to beat other good but not great strikers like Romero, Cannonier, and Gastelum. Struggles with awkward and/or elite strikers like Wonderboy, Adesanya, DDP.

 

[TITS]

DDP ain't exactly known for starching guys like he did to Whitaker.

That wasn't a starching, it was a TKO.