Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia wasn't fibbing when he revealed during the in-ring interview immediately after his loss to Randy Couture at UFC 68 that he injured his back.

In fact, "The Maine-iac" is considering surgery, according to a blog post earlier this month on his official Web site.

Here's the snip from April 13:

"Matt [Hughes] and I are in St. Louis, MO today and tomorrow for the NRA show. I got my 3rd cortisone shot for my back and if this doesn't work out, I'll have surgery in 2 weeks. Heading up to Oregon on Wednesday for some turkey hunting, I'll be hanging out with my buddies from BowTech Archery while I'm up there."

Fortunately, the once-weak division is now brimming with talented stars such as Antonio Rodrigo "Big Nog" Nogueira, Mirko "Cro Crop" Filipovic and Fabricio Werdum, as well as the un-retired Couture.

Prior to their arrivals, Andrei Arlovski (who Sylvia bested twice), Jeff Monson (who Sylvia also defeated) and Brandon Vera were the only true title challengers.

Gabriel Gonzaga was there, too, but who knew?

Put simply, had Sylvia been injured during that time it would have been a disaster — love or hate the guy.

Now, if Sylvia elects to have surgery, the heavyweight division can roll without being stuck in limbo. Meanwhile, he can rehab his injury at a pace that's good for him and not rush to return.

Regardless, it appears that "Big Tim" won't be back in the Octagon anytime soon if the problem persists — especially if he goes under the knife.

For most readers ... please try and contain your enthusiasm.