MELBOURNE, Australia -- An abdominal hernia has forced UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker out of his highly anticipated title defense against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 234, just hours before doors were scheduled to open at Rod Laver Arena.
UFC president Dana White told ESPN that Whittaker complained of pain in his abdomen late last night, and was taken to a local hospital. The Aussie champ was diagnosed with a hernia and will undergo surgery later Sunday, according to White.
A non-title middleweight bout between rising star Israel Adesanya (15-0) and Anderson Silva (34-8) will now headline UFC 234, which sold out in minutes when tickets first went on sale.