UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani on Monday that he won’t be able to defend his belt until at least 2019. Whittaker said his ideal return date is next February due to injuries he suffered in his most recent fight, a split decision win against Yoel Romero in June.
Whittaker (20-4) has won nine consecutive fights. He suffered a broken hand in the first round of that bout against Romero but continued to fight for the remaining four rounds. He told Helwani he also had ligament damage on his left hand “but obviously the attention was drawn to the broken hand.”
The Australian fighter had surgery this past month and will take the remainder of the year to recover.
ESPN reported earlier this month that Whittaker and top middleweight contender Kelvin Gastelum expect to compete for the belt, but no date has been set. Both will also be coaches on the final season of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series.
Gastelum (15-3, 1 NC) is coming off a split decision win against Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza in May. He has won two in a row.