Whittaker missed UFC 234 headliner after docs warned one blow could kill him
Australian was set to defend his 185lb title last night but was rushed to hospital with a twisted and collapsed bowl
ROBERT WHITTAKER missed his UFC 234 headliner against Kelvin Gastelum after doctors warned one blow could have killed him.
The New Zealand-born Australian star, 28, was set to defend his 185lb title last night in Melbourne.
But now it can be revealed a single punch to the stomach could have killed him after it emerged he had suffered a twisted and collapsed bowel.
Whittaker's management team shared the terrifying news on Instagram in a statement in the early hours of this morning.
It read: "Last night at roughly 9pm, Rob began experiencing intense abdominal pains that were brought to the attention of UFC doctors.
"After several hours of observation he was admitted to hospital at 3am.
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“Rob is just out of duel surgery for a twisted and collapsed bowel in addition to an internal hernia of the intestine and will be recovering in hospital for several days.
"Rob is devastated the fight will not go ahead. Up until five minutes before going into surgery Rob was insisting he would fight.
"But advice was that a blow to his stomach could be fatal. Rob will come back stronger and ready for what is to come."
Whittaker is now set to be out of action for around two months as he works his way back to full training following successful surgery.