UFC News: Robert Whittaker sends a message to his fans from the hospital after surgery

What's the story?

Following a rather shameful exit from the UFC 234 main event card, Robert Whittaker sent a message to his fans, subsequently after his bowel surgery. The former UFC middleweight champion was slated to defend his title against middleweight contender, Kelvin Gastelum, at the Rod Laver Arena, in Melbourne, Australia.

In case you didn't know..

On the night before his highly-anticipated championship clash against middleweight Kelvin Gastelum, Robert Whittaker was forced to pull out of the bout by doctors. After taking into consideration the earlier symptoms faced by Whittaker, a 'collapsed bowel' seemed to be the cause for the issue. According to the UFC's official statement on the matter, Robert Whittaker suffered from a 'severe abdominal injury.'

Just hours before his UFC 234 contest against Gastelum, Whittaker was experiencing distress in drinking water and eating. Whittaker was later rushed to the hospital by his coaching staff, management, and friends, where a three-hour-long surgery was underway. Meanwhile, the co-main event between Israel Adesanya and Anderson Silva took to the top of the charts by headlining UFC 234.

View this post on Instagram

Hey guys ! Still kicking. I'm sorry to all my friends, fans and family for not being able to get in there Sunday. Apparently if you get emergency surgeries you can't be cleared to fight. Thanks for the overwhelming support from all my fans I am so blessed to know you guys have my back. A big thanks to my team mates @fabricioitte @alexprates07 @standstrongboxingcoachjustin @justinlang_ep @titusday77 and all the others from behind the scenes you guys were there from start to finish worrying and prioritizing my health above all. Lastly to @danawhite and @ufc for the immediate help and support throughout the process of testing and the emergency surgeries. I am blessed I found out when I did and avoided life long consequences. I'll be back better than ever.

A post shared by Robert Whittaker (@robwhittakermma) on Feb 10, 2019 at 7:01pm PST

The heart of the matter

In a recent Instagram post by Robert Whittaker, the former UFC middleweight champion is seen explaining his case regarding the sudden retreat from UFC 234's main event. He said:

“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’ve gotta get surgery or you’re gonna lose part of your bowel.’ Or it could be potentially fatal. I had to look at my health first — I’m sorry, guys.”

Although little is known about Robert Whittaker's likely return to the Octagon, familiarity with the same seems far-fetched at the moment.

What's next?

President of the UFC, Dana White, has suggested a four to six week recovery period for Robert Whittaker's bowel hernia. In the interim, Israel Adesanya is expected to face Kelvin Gastelum for the middleweight title, which could very well be the UFC's next big pay-per-view exhibition.