Had UFC Abu Dhabi headliner Robert Whittaker fought as planned at UFC 234 in 2019, the consequences might have been dire.
Whittaker is gearing up for his return to action this Saturday, as the former UFC middleweight champion competes for the first time since a devastating result in October 2024.
‘The Reaper’ will be back at Etihad Arena on July 26, the scene of Whittaker’s crushing loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308. ‘The Reaper’ marked the latest fighter to attempt to blemish Chimaev’s perfect record, but a brutal face crank quickly ruined those plans – and the Australian’s front teeth.
The gruesome result of that bout was far from the worst health issue of Whittaker’s career, however. And one in particular could have had a much more devastating outcome…
Robert Whittaker was ruled out of UFC 234 after injury UFC doctors had ‘never seen’
In early 2019, Whittaker was set to defend his middleweight title for the first time on home soil against Kelvin Gastelum. But the UFC 234 main event in Melbourne fell apart on extremely late notice after the champion was hospitalized.
It was later confirmed that the Australian had undergone surgery after suffering an abdominal hernia, the likes of which UFC doctors had never seen in a fighter.
UFC president Dana White disclosed as much while talking to AAP, even revealing that Whittaker’s condition could have been “fatal” if he had made it to the cage the following day.
“His bowel and his intestines poked through a hole,” White said (h/t The Guardian).
“They think he’s had this problem and it’s been going in and out. It’s one of those situations, had it popped up during the fight, it could have been fatal for him, so this is really serious.
“Hopefully they popped it back in and sewed it up, and if that’s the case, he’ll be four weeks (out of action). But this was a freak, freak injury; less than one per cent.
“Our doctor here at the UFC, who has been doing this for 30 years, has never seen it ever in his career and not in a young person. It’s usually in much older people.”
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Robert Whittaker returns from his latest injury setback
Having endured another difficult injury after sharing the cage with an undefeated phenom in Chimaev, Whittaker is ready to make one final push for a return to the middleweight throne.
To keep his hopes of a second stint as 185-pound champ alive, Whittaker must stall Reinier de Ridder’s ambitions, as the charging former two-division ONE Championship titleholder looks to continue his momentum after winning all three of his Octagon appearances thus far.
The Aussie and Dutch veterans will headline Saturday’s UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi, which will also feature returns for ex-bantamweight king Petr Yan, the dangerous Shara Magomedov, and top-10 light heavyweight contender Nikita Krylov.