By: Pankti Parmar Image credit: UFC
Robert Whittaker, the former middleweight champion, and also one of the best UFC pound-for-pound fighters, felt like he gained a higher perspective of life after his death flashed across his eyes.
On February 10, 2022, Whittaker withdrew from his title defence against Kelvin Gastelum. The reason was a sharp midsection pain. The reason for the same is believed to be his extreme weight loss.
“Almost immediately after I started rehydrating and refuelling, almost immediately, I started to get these sharp pains in my stomach, That’s the scenario, and it progressively got worse.” he said.
The fight was canceled, and he was rushed to the hospital for surgery. He had an abdominal hernia and bowel problems, due to which his intestines could have burst, which was a fatal situation.
Initially, The Reaper was concerned about his fight, thinking it was food poisoning, but later, as his pain got progressively worse, he realized that other things also needed to be focused on in life.
Dana White, UFC's president said, "Our doctor here at the UFC, who has been doing this for 30 years has never seen it ever in his career and not in a young person. It’s usually in much older people."
"There was a major perspective shift in my life from having kids, and other one was almost dying. I realized that there is so much more to living and to life, and to my journey, than just fighting.” said Reaper.
Whittaker credits having sons as another eye-opening experience for him. The Reaper is married to Sofia and has been blessed with two boys John and Jack, and a daughter Lilliana.
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