Kelvin Gastelum’s reaction to Robert Whittaker’s emergency bowel and hernia surgery, which cancelled their middleweight championship fight at UFC 234 on Saturday in Melbourne, Australia, was to parade around on television and in the arena, holding a title belt and proclaiming himself as champion.
Gastelum was holding the belt owned by flyweight champion Henry Cejudo. On one hand, given Whittaker undergoing a serious operation that very day, it was probably the worst timing to be proclaiming himself as champion. On the other hand, he probably felt pressured to do something, because even though he had been set for a championship match and the match fell apart having nothing to do with him, things change in the UFC on a daily basis.