UFC: Robert Whittaker 'could've died' if he fought Kelvin Gastelumn ADRIAN WARRENSTUFF UFC middleweight champ Robert Whittaker had to withdraw from Sunday's fight. Luckless Australian UFC champion Robert Whittaker is shattered after being forced to abandon his middleweight title defence due to a "freak" abdominal injury which could have proved fatal in a bout. Sunday's scheduled clash with American Kelvin Gastelumn at a sold-out Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne was called off in the early hours after Whittaker experienced issues on Saturday evening and subsequently underwent surgery. "His bowel and his intestines poked through a hole," UFC boss Dana White told AAP. It continued a terrible run of bad luck and health issues for 28-year-old Whittaker since he won the interim title in 2017.

Source: Stuff February 10, 2019 03:33 UTC