Australian UFC champ Rob Whittaker apologises to fans for cancelling highly anticipated fight to undergo emergency surgery on a collapsed bowel - as it's revealed it could have KILLED him if he stepped into the octagon
- UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has apologised to his fans
- He posted a video from his hospital bed after undergoing emergency surgery
- He had to cancel his fight at UFC 234 in Melbourne which was the main event
- Was due to fight to retain his middleweight title defence in the headline bout
- He suffered twisted and collapsed bowel and an internal intestinal hernia
- Whittaker will be in hospital for 'a bit' but plans a comeback 'better than ever'
Australian UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has issued an apology to his fans via a video shot from his hospital bed, shortly after coming round from emergency surgery.
The 28-year-old took to social media to thank fans for their continued support despite him having to withdraw from his highly anticipated fight at UFC 234 at Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena.
The star fighter was rushed to hospital on Saturday evening, after he suffered a twisted and collapsed bowel, and an internal intestinal hernia which meant he could've died if he'd stepped in the ring.
In the video, shared with his 491k Instagram followers on Monday, Whittaker explained what had happened and insisted he'd been 'fighting the doctors the whole way' until they warned him he'd lose part of his bowel if he didn't undergo the surgery.
He was slated to headline UFC 234 against U.S. challenger Kelvin Gastelum on Sunday but had to pull out.
'I'm sorry for all my friends and family and fans that came out to watch me perform, but unfortunately I couldn't be there,' he said.
'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 gonna lose part of your bowel, or it could be potentially fatal.
The 28-year-old (pictured) took to social media to thank fans for their continued support
'I had to look at my health first, I'm sorry guys,' Whittaker added.
The star, originally from Auckland in New Zealand, went on to thank his coaches, management, friends and family for their unwavering support, and gave a special shout-out to his teammates.
'Especially my team, they were with me through the [re-hydration] period, even though I couldn't drink water, I couldn't eat, and they were still trying to give me positive reinforcements.
'And then they said, Rob, you have to go to hospital, you're throwing up all your rehydration,' he said.
He added that the experience only made him want to 'try harder' the next time he got a chance to take on the ring.
Australian UFC fighter Robert Whittaker (pictured with his wife Sofia) suffered a twisted and collapsed bowel and an internal intestine hernia and could have died if he stepped in the ring
Whittaker also thanked the UFC medical team for sparing no expense in ensuring he got medical tests done which led to the emergency surgery.
'I was under the knife the very same day I got the tests done, so thank you to you guys as well,' he added.
He signed off his video post by stating that although he'll be in hospital 'a little bit longer' he plans to be back 'better than ever'.
UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has pulled out on Sunday's showdown
The video post comes shortly after it was revealed that Whittaker's wife Sofia and manager Titus Day had to convince him to call off the fight and have the surgery after 'intense pain' started about 9pm on Saturday.
'Up until five minutes before going into surgery Rob was insisting he would fight, but advice was that a blow to his stomach could be fatal,' Day said.
UFC boss Dana White said Whittaker 'had suffered a less than one per cent, freak injury'.
'What they told me was that his colon and intestines had popped out,' White said in the post-show press conference.
'They don't think it was anything he did yesterday, they think he's had it for a while and it's been popping in and out.
'The scary part is that if he took a shot to the stomach he could have died. He could rupture the colon and become septic and that's not good.
'Everything happens for a reason. It's great the way this worked out, to find out this kid had this problem and was unhealthy and we were able to get it fixed and they think he'll be out for four to six weeks.'
The Kiwi-born, Sydney-based star has been plagued with illness and injury in recent years
Whittaker started vomiting soon after the abdominal pain began but refused to go to hospital until 3am on Sunday.
'He was actually going to push through it and fight, thank God he didn't,' White said.
Whittaker will spend the next four to six weeks recovering then defend his belt against either Gastelum or sixth-ranked middleweight Israel Adesanya.
Gastelum borrowed the belt of flyweight champion Henry Cerjudo, who attended the show.
'I turned up to fight,' he said, declaring he was the champion as Whittaker had effectively forfeited the fight.
Robert Whittaker (pictured) was rushed to hospital on Saturday night and has been diagnosed with a hernia and undergone surgery
However, he was more forgiving after he learned of Whittaker's severe injuries that forced him to call off the bout.
The UFC offered refunds to disappointed fans who had bought tickets to see Whittaker in action, but only a handful of fans accepted them.
With a record of 20 wins from 24 bouts, Sydney-based star Whittaker hasn't been beaten in five years.
However, he's been plagued with injuries and illness in recent times.
A straph infection in his stomach forced Whittaker to pull out UFC 221 in Perth last year, which was also a title defence.
He was on the comeback after breaking his hand in an epic showdown with Yoel Romero last June.
Whittaker attracted a huge crowd of Melbourne fans in the big build-up to UFC 234
