The fighter would issue a statement on the matter through Instagram:
UFC President Dana White would even comment on Whittaker’s situation, calling Whittaker selfless for pulling out of UFC 248.
“Let me put it to you this way,” White said to Submission Radio (via Tom Taylor of BJPenn.com). “That’s personal for Whittaker. 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.”
While no official reason has been given at this time for Whittaker pulling out of UFC 248, it has been reported by The Sun that Whittaker pulled out of the bout in order to donate bone marrow to his sick daughter. There is no word yet on what kind of illness that Whittaker’s daughter suffers from or how long the potential recovery will take.
