Robert Whittaker has not been seen in the cage since he won the UFC interim middleweight title with a decision triumph over Yoel Romero in July. And while he was recently promoted to undisputed middleweight champion when Georges St-Pierre vacated that title, it sounds like it could be some time before he’s back in the cage.
Speaking to TSN earlier this month, UFC President Dana White gave a grim update on Whittaker and the health problems that are keeping him out of the cage.
“He had staph infection in his stomach, and from what I understand it wasn’t treated properly, and it started to eat away parts of his organs,” White said of Whittaker. “He’s in serious condition. So it’s going to be a minute before he’s back, I think. Hopefully it turns around quick, but that stuff is life-threatening, if not treated the right way.”
While Whittaker is expected to share some updates with Australian national media sometime in the coming days, he’s given a short update on social media in the meantime.
“Pumped to get back to work,” the middleweight champion said in his post.
At the very least, it’s clear that Whittaker is focused on his return. Hopefully his health problems don’t hinder him for too long.
With his defeat of Romero, Whittaker extended his win-streak to an impressive eight straight. Highlights of this streak include decisive wins over Brad Tavares, Uriah Hall, Rafael Natal, Derek Brunson, and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. The Australian star is currently 19-4 as a pro mixed martial artist.
When Robert Whittaker returns to the cage, he’s expected to face the winner of UFC 221’s Yoel Romero vs. Luke Rockhold interim title fight.
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 1/29/2018.