Whittaker will not fight until 2019 due to hand injuries

UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker revealed he won't be in the Octagon again until 2019 because he's recovering from hand injuries suffered during his fight against Yoel Romero, ESPN's Ariel Helwani reports.

Whittaker underwent surgery in July to repair a broken hand, and he came away from his fight against Romero at UFC 225 on June 8 with ligament damage.

"I haven't even started the rehab process yet," Whittaker told Helwani. "Just more letting it heal first before I can implement that. They put a plate and some screws in (on the right hand). Realistically I'm looking at February next year."

The 27-year-old sports a 20-4 record and hasn't lost since February 2014.

Whittaker isn't concerned about his return after he takes time to recover.

"I'm not worried that it'll have any effect on my performance," he says. "I haven't even reached the peak of my potential. This hard fight is going to mold me and shape me as to how I approach fights from here on. I think everyone has to have their mettle tested in a tough fight. That was one of them for me."