Goldberg didn’t call last weekend’s show in Las Vegas, marking the first time since he debuted with the promotion in 1997 that he missed a UFC assignment for a reason other than a schedule conflict. In his place last Saturday night, announcer Jon Anik called the show alongside color analyst Joe Rogan.
After the event, UFC president Dana White said he was unsure when the veteran broadcaster would return Octagon-side.
“Goldie’s out for a while,” White said, “and I don’t know when he’ll be back.”
Later in the week, rumors began to surface online that the 48-year-old Goldberg was battling drug addiction, however, when contacted by MMAFighting.com via text message on Friday, Goldberg denied those claims.
Goldberg declined to discuss his health issue in detail.
However, according to multiple sources close to Goldberg, who all asked to remain anonymous, the broadcaster suffered from a severe upper respiratory infection in October. The already-asthmatic Goldberg was then treated with large doses of medication to open the airway and treat the infection. Goldberg’s doctor later confirmed that the medication taken to treat the infection in combination with his normal asthma medication caused severe side effects that affected his ability to work, which according to the same sources, was the reason he missed UFC 155.
Goldberg is currently being treated to get his health back on track and is approaching a full recovery.