Robert Whittaker explains why withdrawing from Marvin Vettori fight is "ultimate show of respect"

Robert Whittaker has explained why he believes pulling out of his fight with Marvin Vettori was a sign of respect for his opponent. Whittaker, who was due to face Vettori at UFC 275 in June, announced last week that he won't be able to compete in the pay-per-view. The reasons for the injury are undisclosed.

In a post on Instagram, 'The Reaper' apologized to his fans and vowed that he'll come back "better than ever":

"Sorry to say guys, due to an injury I took early in the camp, I'm not going to be able to compete in June. I did everything I could to get it right but it's just not healing in time. All this means is that I'll be competing a couple months later. When I get in that octagon next I'll be better than ever."

Whittaker recently appeared on Submission Radio. He was asked about the extent of his injury and how hard it was for him to take the call to not compete. The Australian shared that anxiety had kept him up most nights, knowing he had to announce he wasn't fit. Whittaker was keen to point out that he had to be at his best to fight Marvin Vettori:

"It's not like Vettori's a chump. I would think it's like the ultimate show of respect that I don't want to fight Vettori at anything less than 100%. He's only lost to the same dude I have. He's top of the food chain."

Robert Whittaker is currently the No.1-ranked middleweight and No.15 in the men's pound-for-pound rankings. He has only lost twice in the last eight years, both times to reigning champion Israel Adesanya.

Refusing to give the exact details of his injury, 'The Reaper' stated that he still wants to fight the Italian. He is hopeful that his injury will only delay the contest and not stop it from happening altogether.

Watch the full interview with Robert Whittaker on Submission Radio here:

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Robert Whittaker recalls all the times he fought with injuries

Robert Whittaker confirmed that he has fought in the octagon with injuries previously. These injuries have contributed to him taking the decision to withdraw from the bout with 'The Italian Dream'.

'The Reaper' explained that it is a different experience being injured before a training camp. A fighter can make the decision to continue in the hope that it heals, but they are already physically behind their opponent.

Asked if he has fought in the UFC through injury, Whittaker confirmed that he's done it several times:

"I've done it too many times. Like too many times. In the Smash finale, the fight I had, I went into the fight with a broken hand... I fought [Yoel] Romero for the interim title the first time with a torn lateral collateral ligament (LCL)."