Australian UFC champion Robert Whittaker's broken thumb will keep him out of the cage until at least February.
Middleweight title holder Whittaker had surgery on his thumb after returning to Sydney from his split decision win over Cuban Yoel Romero in Chicago last month, and said his hand was still a "bit stiff" after having a plate and screws put in.
"I can't even start the rehab process yet, it's more just letting it heal and letting it set properly first," he told ESPN.
"I have to get to 100 per cent with my hand to start rehab ... and then I need to strengthen my hand back up to 100 per cent.
"Realistically I'm looking at February next year."
Whittaker, who won a $US100,000 bonus for the fight of the night at UFC 225 last month, said he suffered the injury in his right hand in the first round, but wasn't sure how it happened.
"I also did ligament damage in my left hand," he said.
The Sydneysider's next challenger is American Kelvin Gastelum, and Whittaker says he would be honoured if the UFC timetable resulted in an Australian fight for his title.
Whittaker and Gastelum are currently in Las Vegas as coaches on the final season of The Ultimate Fighter, for which they were 2012 and 2013 winners respectively.
