Fans were disappointed when Robert Whittaker withdrew from his upcoming UFC 248 bout against Jared Cannonier. However, reports are now surfacing that indicate why he was forced out of his fight and it speaks volumes to the kind of person he is.
According to reports, Whittaker withdrew from the bout to donate bone marrow to his sick daughter.
UFC president Dana White had previously described Whittaker’s withdrawal from the Cannonier bout as a “selfless” act.
“That’s personal for Whittaker,” White told Submission Radio. “If Whittaker wants to talk about that, he can, but I’ll tell you this, when you talk about somebody whose priorities are in the right place, who is completely selfless and down to the core a good human being, that’s Robert Whittaker.”
The Sun adds:
The Australian fan-favourite was due to face Jared Cannonier at UFC 248 in March as he looks to bounce back after losing his middleweight belt to Israel Adesanya in October.
But it was claimed the 29-year-old cancelled the fight to donate bone marrow to his baby daughter Lilliana – born in February 2018 – who has fallen sick.
BeTheMatch.org has a painful description of what donating bone marrow entails: “Donating bone marrow is a surgical procedure done under general or regional anesthesia in a hospital. While a donor receives anesthesia, doctors use needles to withdraw liquid marrow from the back of the pelvic bone.”
We wish Robert Whittaker, his daughter, and entire family all of the best.
