8:02 am | February 11, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:
11:25 AM ET
UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, who had to pull out of his title fight with Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 234 this past weekend due to an abdominal hernia, released his first statement since the incident late Sunday.
“I wanted to give you all an update on how I’m doing,” Whittaker said in a video. “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 all the 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.”
Gastelum (15-3) was on a two-fight win streak after defeating Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza and Michael Bisping. UFC President Dana White, following the UFC 234 card, would not guarantee Gastelum the next shot even though he was mere hours away from competing for the belt.
