UFC: What Illness Does Robert Whittaker Daughter Lilliana Have? Heath Problem Explained
Robert Whittaker’s daughter’s illness made him quit wrestling for a while.
Whittaker is a professional UFC-based Mixed Martial Artist (MMA). He began his MMA career in 2009 and is now recognized as the former UFC Middleweight Champion.
The fighter took a career break in 2020 due to his daughter’s illness. He spent time with his family for nearly 6 months and made a grand comeback to the fighting world in July 2020.
Now, Robert is in the limelight due to his upcoming match on Saturday, September 3, 2022. The game was supposed to conduct on July 11. However, it was postponed for the UFC Fight Night 209.
Robert Whittaker Daughter Illness
Robert Whittaker’s daughter’s illness had got him worried.
The father could not even focus on his career and took a break. In January 2020, the MMA reported to his fans that he would not be fighting in the upcoming match in March.
The announcement was made via his verified Instagram account, where he posted a picture with his daughter and wrote, “he was sorry to inform them about not fighting in March as he needed time to be with his family.” He further added that he will be back and the best is yet to come.”
His supporters appreciated the post and flooded the comment section with good wishes.
Additionally, the president of UFC announced Whittaker’s break on an Australian MMA talk show and stated the fighter as a selfless man whose priorities are in the right place.
Hence, the break didn’t hamper Robert’s career at all. Instead, it gained him lots of respect.
What Happened to Lilliana Whittaker? Health Problem Explained
Robert Whittaker’s daughter’s illness needed a bone marrow transplant.
But why Lilliana Whittaker needed a transplant at only 1 year is yet to be disclosed. The UFC fighter only revealed his daughter’s illness at the beginning of 2020 when he took a career break for his family.
During his break, the public assumed his daughter had leukemias or immune deficiency disorder. However, the parents ignored the rumors and chose not to publicize their daughter’s illness.
According to the Daily Mail, the break involved Whittaker donating bone marrow to his daughter, Lilliana. The little one was only 1 year old at the time.
Lilliana was born as the third child of Robert and Sofia in February 2018. Currently, she is 4 years old and is fine and healthy.
Robert Whittaker’s Wife And Children
Whittaker is married to his wife, Sofia Whittaker.
The couple has been together for almost 2 decades since they began dating in 2005. They got engaged in 2013 after dating for nearly 8 years. Likewise, they finally exchanged their wedding vowed on October 5, 2014.
In 2019, Sofia wished her husband a “Happy 5th marriage anniversary” and mentioned that “14 years together is still the start for us.” She added, “So excited for the next 70 years and beyond.”
The couple shares an extraordinary love and support for each other. In addition to being life partners, they are also business partners. They own a sportswear brand, Reaper Gear RW.
Additionally, as per the source, Sofia is a health and exercise graduate and has previously worked in the gym.
Now, the couple’s love has brought 4 beautiful lives to earth. They are blessed with 3 sons (John, Jack, and Jace) and a daughter (Lilliana).
MMA Robert Career
Robert Whittaker made his professional career debut in 2009.
However, his path as a fighting champion was set long ago when he was a child, thanks to his father. According to his Wikipedia bio, Robert, at 7 years, was enrolled in a Goju-Ryn Karate School with his brother so that they would learn self-defense and discipline.
After 8 years old training, his brother left the fighting world while Robert switched to Hapkido. After training there for some years, the UFC fighter was transferred to an MMA gym.
So this is how the champ entered MMA without knowing and is now ruling the Australian MMA world.
Moreover, he joined UFC in 2012 and became the UFC Middleweight Champion in 2017.
Recently, Whittaker will be fighting against Marvin Vettori on September 3, 2022. The fight will be interesting as Marvin has already announced him defeating Robert.
On the other hand, Robert states that his best match is yet to come, and Marvin underestimates him.
