Kiwi-born Australian Robert Whittaker has reportedly pulled out of this afternoon's UFC 234 in Melbourne, hampered again by injuries.
According to ESPN's Brett Okamoto, the middleweight champion has withdrawn from his title defence against Kelvin Gastelum, citing a hernia.
"I just got off the phone with Dana White, who tells me Robert Whittaker ... is out of his main event due to a hernia in his abdomen.
"Late last night around midnight he started to complain about pain in his abdomen.
"He was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with a hernia. [I'm] told it was not any weight cutting related issue, anything like that. Just a very unfortunate hernia issues, which may even require a procedure now."
UFC boss Dana White confirmed the news, adding that Whittaker has undergone emergency surgery.
Whittaker's withdrawal would see Kiwi-Nigerian Israel Adesanya as the headline event, due to fight UFC legend Anderson Silva.
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