UFC 234 was hit with a bombshell less than 24 hours before it was scheduled to take place when middleweight champion and headliner Robert Whittaker was forced to withdraw due to an intestinal hernia and a twisted bowel. It was serious enough even Dana White was solemn when addressing the situation. Quite a change from the man we’ve come to expect to call fighters colorful adjectives meant to demean their toughness. Thus, the title defense with Kelvin Gastelum was canceled and UFC 234 instantly became doomed.
Given the lack of depth on the card, many were calling it the worst card ever based on the face value.