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Robert Whittaker pulled out of UFC 248 against the #4 ranked Jared Cannonier recently. It wasn't an injury, but undisclosed personal reasons. When asked about it, Dana White didn't give any clarity but he did praise the Australian and said that the reason he pulled out was a "selfless" one and he appeared to get emotional when talking about it.
Rumors were floating about recently that the reason why Whittaker pulled out was to donate his bone marrow to his sick daughter. There was an outpouring of support and sympathy when that happened, but ultimately, they were still unconfirmed rumors from an unreliable source.
The Reaper has been off social media recently to spend time with his family and posted an update on Instagram, urging people not to believe the rumors that have been going about.
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All we can hope is that the rumors are untrue because it's a difficult situation for any parent to deal with. Either way, it must be something vital if Dana White got so emotional about it. As for the dance partner he was supposed to have, Jared Cannonier, it's not decided whether he'll stay on the card or not.
The reports have stated that UFC wants to keep him on the card and is looking for an active replacement. Dana White said in the post-UFC 246 press conference that Darren Till, the #5 ranked Middleweight, is injured and won't be able to take the slot.
However, Till put out a statement to Fighters Only revealing that he's trying his best to get the Cannonier fight and is simply waiting for UFC and his agent to come up with the right deal. Till is the only opponent that makes sense in the eyes of many from Cannonier's point of view, especially since he could be only one win away from earning a title shot.
However, one would think that if Till beats Cannonier, it would set him up perfectly for a fight against Robert Whittaker later in the year. Until then, we wish Robert Whittaker well and hope to see The Reaper back in the Octagon soon.
