Yesterday, UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker received some good news when it was revealed he had been released from the hospital. Now it’s time Whittaker sounds off on his opponent’s recent media stunt.
‘The Reaper’ was forced out of his scheduled title defense against Kelvin Gastelum at last weekend’s UFC 234 at the last minute. He was forced to undergo emergency surgery for a hernia and collapsed bowel, frightening conditions that were prompted by some severe pain and vomiting.
Whittaker is thankful to be back on the mend. Shortly after he was released, Whittaker hopped on a live stream on his YouTube channel GrangeTV (via MMA Fighting) to offer an update on his status:
“I’m in good spirits. I’m thankful that I still have my health and that they found it before I fought and I can walk away from this and fight at a later date. My whole thing is I want to heal, train, and then fight. My health comes first. I need to make sure I’m healthy and then I’ll fight anyone, anywhere.”
Gastelum’s Stunt
His opponent was initially hopeful for Whittaker to bounce back to good health. But Gastelum took things to a new place when he appeared at UFC 234 holding Henry Cejudo’s belt and claiming to be the champion. Like Dana White, Whittaker said it was a ‘cute’ stunt. He had a good comparison for Gastelum:
“I thought it was cute,” Whittaker said. “You know when your kid finds your work belt at home and then he starts wearing it around the house? That’s kind of how I saw the whole thing. It was adorable.”
But overall, he understood Gastelum’s frustrations. He felt bad the fight didn’t go down, but ultimately his health obviously came first. Whittaker did point out that Gastelum, who apparently had ringworm and a staph infection, may have actually benefitted as well:
“I feel bad for him that he trained and made the trip out here and then I couldn’t give it to him. I apologize for that but obviously, my health comes first. It is what it is. . . His health was looking a bit shocking as well. It’s just one of those things. Maybe it was better for both of us.”
Middleweight Suddenly Has ‘Lifeblood’
As for the state of his
“With Anderson and Adesanya just fighting, I don’t know what that does,” Whittaker said. “I don’t know what the UFC is gonna make. I’ve never picked a fight. They just line them up and I beat them and that’s exactly what I’ve done. I’ve never tip-toed my way to the title. . .
“I’m not worried. I don’t know what the UFC
Looking To Return Soon
As for those calling for Whittaker to be stripped of the title, he wanted to remind them he had only been out for nine months. His primary goal was to fight in his homeland last weekend, and he’s gutted it didn’t happen. But he isn’t looking to take much time off, and promised a glorious fight when he does return:
“It’s only been nine months since my last fight. I’ll be back in there before you know it. I’m trying to get my health up to date and get back to training and then I’ll fight soon enough. I’m not looking to take any long periods of time off. Obviously, I’m itching for a fight.
“I’m gutted. I wanted to fight, I did all the work. I got sick after the weigh in! Can someone explain to me why I would go through the whole process of cutting weight and weighing in and then not fight? That is the worst outcome. It couldn’t have happened a day earlier? It is what is. I want to fight, I’m going to fight soon enough, and when I fight it will be glorious.”
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