Rousimar Palhares decided to withdraw from his planned title defense against Jon Fitch citing personal issues, and his mother is the reason why he decided not to fight on July 5.

Ali Abdel-Aziz told MMAFighting.com on Wednesday that the welterweight champion was out of WSOF 11 card, and "Toquinho’s" manager Alex Davis explained to MMAFighting.com that the Team Nogueira fighter is worried about his mother’s health.

"Toquinho had to withdraw from the fight because his mother has health issues," Davis said. "He would not be able to focus on the fight with his mother in this condition. He had to choose for his mother’s health, since she will have to undergo a complicated surgery."

Palhares became the welterweight champion with a first-round submission win over Steve Carl in his first appearance since bring released by the UFC.

With the champion out of the picture, Abdel-Aziz plans a welterweight showdown between Fitch and Jake Shields to co-headline WSOF 11, as Justin Gaehtje battles Nick Newell for the lightweight title in the main event.

Update: Palhares issued the following statement Wednesday night.