Anderson Silva still scheduled for UFC 112 title defense as Vitor Belfort undergoes successful shoulder surgery
by Jesse Holland on Feb 12, 2010 1:10 PM EST
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UFC middleweight number one contender Vitor Belfort has undergone successful shoulder surgery to repair a lingering injury that was severe enough to see him withdraw from his April 10 title fight against Anderson Silva at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi.
From "The Phenom" courtesy of Sherdog.com:
“I’ve already had the surgery on my left shoulder. I’ve already had three injections since I was scheduled to fight Fedor, but lately the pain got really unbearable and my doctor decided to take an (MRI) and it showed chronic injury that was getting worse. My doctor, Michel Simoni, said that if I did not stop and do the surgery immediately, I was running serious risk of my shoulder going out of place. Also I was already losing the power of my left arm. How could I fight (without) my strongest hand? I’m feeling good, and according to the doctor, in four months I can start returning to training little by little. Now I have a long journey of work with physical therapy every day. I think before the end of the year, I’ll be back in the Octagon. No matter if it’s fighting for the belt or not, I’ll be back 100 percent.”
Belfort and Silva were initially penciled in to collide at UFC 108 earlier this year; however, minor elbow surgery for Silva postponed the Brazilian brawl until UFC 112 at the Concert Arena from Ferrari World, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, on Saturday, April 10.
Perhaps it's just not meant to be -- Belfort even seemed uncomfortable with the quick title shot after a first round destruction of former 185-pound division champ Rich Franklin in a 195-pound catchweight fight on Sept. 19, 2009.
In fact, he admitted that Nate Marquardt more than likely deserved the nod over him. Nonetheless, he accepted the bout, twice, and both times the plans have had to be scrapped.
UFC President Dana White recently confirmed to MMA Fighting that "The Spider" will still defend his 185-pound strap overseas as scheduled. Now it is a question of finding a suitable opponent on short notice to tangle with one of the world's best pound-for-pound fighters.
Waiting in the wings, of course, is Chael Sonnen, who utterly dominated Marquardt at UFC 109: "Relentless" this past weekend; however, he sustained a humongous gash on his forehead during the three-round unanimous decision win and was slapped with a lengthy medical suspension.
Sonnen, according to the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), is not allowed to spar until March 24, giving him little time to truly prepare to battle a world class and dangerous opponent such as Silva. Regardless, Sonnen indicated in several post-fight interviews that he would be ready just in case something like this happened.
It's a tall order, considering Silva hasn't really lost in more than five years (sans a disqualification loss to Yushin Okami in 2006), and he's essentially obliterated the middleweight division since entering the Zuffa fold in mid 2006.
Whether or not the promotion gives him the green light is still up in the air, and more than likely, currently the focus of heated debate in the UFC war room.
Stay tuned.
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Uh-oh
Enter undeserved opponent. If Chael was getting the shot I wouldn’t moan too much as he has beat 2 guys who shoulda been giving their shots a while back. But Chael isn’t gonna be cleard according to the rumours
If anyone, it’ll probably be Maia. But I’d rather see them keep Silva on the card and have him fight at 205
IrishKev
I agree. I don’t want to see an undeserved opponent fight for the title. I think Dana’s waiting to see what happens between Wanderlei and Bisping – if the winner comes out w/o injuries, they may throw him in there. Saying that, I don’t think either one of them deserve a crack at the belt, but they’d sell more tickets than Damian Maia. If Bisping/Wandy can’t fight than they may give it to Maia.
Remember, Silva has only 3 fights left on his contract. Assuming he still wants out to fight Jones Jr, the opponents need to be selected carefully. I would like to see:
1. Belfort
2. LHW Titleshot
3. GSP
In any order.
Tito interviewing Babalu: "I want to tell me what you see, let's go ahead and see by the fight, what you saw, in the ring."
Tito interviewing Fedor: "Let me tell you how you feeling right now?"
roy jones retired after being absolutely EMBARASSED in australia a good while back i dont see that fight happening..
isnt maia on some med suspension too?
by randy murders on Feb 12, 2010 7:54 PM EST up reply actions
Roy Jones didn’t retire. He’s fighting Hopkins April 3rd.
"Cowards die many times before their deaths,
The valiant never taste of death but once."
Julius Caesar (II, ii, 32-37)
by Jeremyjackson on Feb 12, 2010 8:13 PM EST up reply actions
It’s time for sonnen to step up. Stop talking and fight little girl. everybody wants to be a tough guy until they have to be a tough guy.
Stop talking and fight????
he fought last saturday. and he said he is ready to step up….time for Anderson to step up and fight
Fedor played Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun and won.
AMERICA.....FUCK YEAH
no kidding. whats with the little girl comment?
Goldmouth you did here about his fight with Nate last Saturday right?
I bet against both Paulo Thiago and Mark Coleman:
- THiago impressed the sh1t out of me.
- Coleman you owe me $20 bucks.
what an idiot
the guy’s been backin up his talk BIG time. what more do u want?
Tito interviewing Babalu: "I want to tell me what you see, let's go ahead and see by the fight, what you saw, in the ring."
Tito interviewing Fedor: "Let me tell you how you feeling right now?"
i do agree with goldmouth on one thing, sonnen needs to SHUTUP hearing that guy talk makes my head hurt, but i do like he shutup those stupid marquardt nuthuggers and proved my point for the last 2 years..
i also like sonnens chances at dominating the spider for 5 rounds… and would bet a signature on that fight
by randy murders on Feb 12, 2010 7:56 PM EST up reply actions
the title is a little misleading...it implies that Silva/Vitor is still a go
the body clarifies but just sayin
Fedor invented a language that incorporates Sambo and Kimuras.
So next time FEDOR is kicking your ass, don't be offended or hurt, he may be just trying to tell you he likes your hat.
yea that got me excited then disappointed all over again
Fedor played Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun and won.
AMERICA.....FUCK YEAH
i’m not, that shit’s just stupid. and anyone trying to sell anything where it’s not asked for just pisses me off. if you had a legitimate business to sell, you’d be selling it through legitimate channels, not just using your sig as a spam machine
Goldie: "Michael Jordan-esque in his grappling skills is Travis Lutter."
Rogan: "No, no he's not. No."
meant to reply to HealthInsurancescammer
Goldie: "Michael Jordan-esque in his grappling skills is Travis Lutter."
Rogan: "No, no he's not. No."
I believe Chael took his last 3 fights as a substitute
Am I correct? somethin like that…anyway, it would be kinda poetic if he took this one and won.
Tito interviewing Babalu: "I want to tell me what you see, let's go ahead and see by the fight, what you saw, in the ring."
Tito interviewing Fedor: "Let me tell you how you feeling right now?"
I didnt want to see anderson anyway
GSP is better, i would prefer to watch bj destroy edgar than anderson giving us another lackluster performance at 185.
"When are people going to realize that G.S.P is half man half amazing!!!"
Peter Merino(myself)...no im not famous but my quote was published on the ufc website
you don't want to see Anderson?
what kind of mma fan are you? Maybe you’d rather see GSP or BJ fight – I would somewhat agree…but I would love to watch Anderson fight.
Leites is the one who pussied out. He quickly realized what kind of striker Anderson was and he couldn’t take him down, so he just flopped on his back.
Tito interviewing Babalu: "I want to tell me what you see, let's go ahead and see by the fight, what you saw, in the ring."
Tito interviewing Fedor: "Let me tell you how you feeling right now?"
Wow mmasavvy
I really don’t think you are savvy at all. Anderson has 1 fight that was lackluster and you automatically dog him for that. I sure do bet you get bored when a couple of fights on a card go to decision huh?
No
I wrestled most of my life and that can get pretty boring to watch.i appreciate all aspects of mma,grappling and striking
"When are people going to realize that G.S.P is half man half amazing!!!"
Peter Merino(myself)...no im not famous but my quote was published on the ufc website
I was not impressed with the cote fight either
I think leites won two rds on the judges scorecards and no one seems to point out that anderson was losing to the serial killer before he got a submission victory.
"When are people going to realize that G.S.P is half man half amazing!!!"
Peter Merino(myself)...no im not famous but my quote was published on the ufc website
Lutter?
so, he looked human against Lutter. Are you tryin’ to point out a weakness in Silva by referring to a fight inwhich he submitted a bjj fighter??
I think you’ve just been spoiled. Why would Anderson just jump into Leites’ guard? This is MMA, you have to earn your takedowns. It’s not Anderson’s fault. He’s there to win his way.
Tito interviewing Babalu: "I want to tell me what you see, let's go ahead and see by the fight, what you saw, in the ring."
Tito interviewing Fedor: "Let me tell you how you feeling right now?"
Silva hit cote with some atomic bombs
but was not able to finish him
"When are people going to realize that G.S.P is half man half amazing!!!"
Peter Merino(myself)...no im not famous but my quote was published on the ufc website
mmasavvy
No offense dude, but this thread and the original Vitor injury thread you sound very ignorant, I dont know if the things you spew are actually the way you truly feel but dude come on. Anderson is the best fighter in MMA right now. With Fedor and GSP as number 1.a and 1.b. BJ a close 2. Anderson has unreal skills and has shown us all vs Forrest how good his hands are and showed us vs Nate how good his striking is and vs Hendo how good his ground game is. All vs the top MW’s
by AintNoSunshine on Feb 12, 2010 2:48 PM EST up reply actions
Why does he have to finish every single opponent?
Does GSP finish everyone? no, but you’d rather watch GSP fight.
Cote was just happy to make it to the third. He had to let everyone know by putting up 3 fingers…pretty fuckin sad if u ask me.
Tito interviewing Babalu: "I want to tell me what you see, let's go ahead and see by the fight, what you saw, in the ring."
Tito interviewing Fedor: "Let me tell you how you feeling right now?"
Actually
GSP vs Alves was a bit hard to watch. I just wanted GSP to end the fight. Sometimes dominating decisions are better then quick finishes. BJ impressed me in 5 ROUNDS vs Diego
by AintNoSunshine on Feb 12, 2010 2:58 PM EST up reply actions
Yoshihiro Akiyama
Yoshihiro Akiyama hasn’t lost since 2005. He’s a powerhouse and very popular in Asia. He won fight of the night at UFC 100 beating Alan Belcher.
Akiyama win over Belcher
Was a joke! It was an AMAZING FIGHT but Belcher won that fight…
by GOThealthINS on Feb 12, 2010 2:55 PM EST up reply actions
Im sorry
I just dont like anderson, ive jumped on the sonnen bandwagon. I acknowledge all his accomplishments as an mma fighter, but he is only human.Roy jones jr will knock anderson out
"When are people going to realize that G.S.P is half man half amazing!!!"
Peter Merino(myself)...no im not famous but my quote was published on the ufc website
In Boxing
maybe. Still think Anderons hands are fast enough as well as his movement is good enough to give RJJ a great fight
by AintNoSunshine on Feb 12, 2010 2:59 PM EST up reply actions
go watch roy jones last fight… prime vs prime sure jones best p4p ever BUT now time, anderson by 1 punch ko
by randy murders on Feb 12, 2010 8:01 PM EST up reply actions
Still Dude
RJJ still has great Boxing fundamentals
by AintNoSunshine on Feb 12, 2010 8:10 PM EST up reply actions
I Love When People Word It Like this
makes it sound like your feeding Fighter B (Randy) to an Animal (Fighter A)
by AintNoSunshine on Feb 12, 2010 2:59 PM EST up reply actions
What now
I have no idea, I am baffled and stunned, I was looking forward to Silva and Belfort, I do not see Chael or Demian beating Anderson Silva. I think the UFC should have kept Henderson. I would like to see Anderson fight a LHW preferably Couture with that said I have learned a potential match up between Franklin and Couture is in the works
I guess I am left with what now
wait wait wait, a striker has more of a chance against anderson than a grappler? that makes no mother fucking sense to me at all
lutter,hendo,leites,and even nate did better than
franklin twice,leben,irvin,and forrest
so you tell me if a striker has much of a chance against the spider….
by randy murders on Feb 12, 2010 8:03 PM EST up reply actions
I remember reading that anderson plans to retire soon
If thats true idt rematches would be that appealing. the ufc needs to set up super fights with anderson.He needs to worth opponent
"When are people going to realize that G.S.P is half man half amazing!!!"
Peter Merino(myself)...no im not famous but my quote was published on the ufc website
I think his retirement plans have changed his coach stated that he doesn't plan on retiring anytime soon.
"He broke tim sylvia’s arm…...So what?" – Brock Lesnar
Seriously,
Vitor could not get this stupid MRI done when Silva was hurt? What’s with all these athletes waiting at the last minutes to check on nagging injuries it happens in hockey all the time too! This is poor management issues IMO and at this level i would like to see the UFC get a little more involved in fighters health so these things do not happen each 3 events! Shane Carwin did a good thing by getting a surgery wright away when he saw he would not fight Lesnar at UFC 108 i just wonder why Vitor did not do the same
Yoshi would be a good choice but come on they could of made him fight 3 different contenders by now and they would throw him at AS because they do not have other options… Besides i heard he would headline a card in japan later this year!
If i was chael i would refuse this match up…
You cannot expect to be ready for the best p4p fighter in the world when your only window to train with contact in your gym is from March 24th to April 3rd.(taking in the fact that they will get to Abu Dhabi 7 days b4 the event)
If he accept that match up he is stupid!
I guess the only option at MW is Sexyama and i am betting that the UFC wished they had keeped him busy for the last 8 months! Not making him fight was an horrible decision!
1. The UFC can ask for a medical check in the contract (i am not shure if already done or not??)
2. Have bi-weekly medical checkups after a fight is signed by both fighters…
But those are rather radical options…
It is starting to be frustrating to see all these great match up put back ! If you really think about it in a perfect world we would of have : Shane Carwin/ Brock Lesnar,
Anderson Silva/Vitor Belfort, Rashad Evans/Quinton Jackson at the end of last year …
I am sure that with the sport growing we will see improvement in the way they approach there way to be sure a match up actually happens rather then being pushed back!
I guess we will have a busy Summer then… with fight that should of happened in the last fall!
On the 205 note i think Randy/Franklin is the next logical step for Randy and the UFC and i do not see them braking Vera/Jones to make the AS fight Vera! lil Nog will not fight AS and the Machida/Shogun Winner will not be ready…. Wandy just made peace with AS so we can forget about him and Sonnen would only have a 10 day “with contact” camp to get ready for AS!
What does that leaves us with…
Thiago Silva
Luis Athur Cane
Micheal Bisping (If he wins the Wandy fight)
Akiyama (if UFC are willig to sacrifice there Japan plans…)
Tough call for Joe Silva!
Luis Cane is a good fight for him
Fedor played Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun and won.
AMERICA.....FUCK YEAH
bi-weekly medical checkups after the contract is signed
best idea in the whole thread. and i dont think its too radical, just business…
Bas Rutten: He has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Stephen Quadros: Yes, well many of the fighters
have a black belt.
Bas Rutten: Yes, but in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu you cant
buy your belt like in say, Tae Kwon Do.
Stephen Quadros: Do you have any belts?
Bas Rutten: I have a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do.
by DrewMoney$$$ on Feb 12, 2010 5:18 PM EST up reply actions
Perfect post
The UFC should have never let go of Hendo. I don’t believe they couldn’t negotiate a decent contract with him. He is still top 3 middleweight and top 10 lhw in the world. You say he isn’t marketable but his KO of Bisping made people love him so much more. He also has a highlight KO of Wanderlei from Pride.
I love Hendo so I am bias and don’t want to see him wasting his time fighting Jake Sheilds when he could be fighting AS for the title. I really think he would have won or given AS the fight of his life this next time around but Ed Soares didn’t want to see them fight again
Agree to disagree
I just don’t think Jake is a MW – he is a top 5 WW but until he goes to the UFC we will never know how good he can be. He will not fight Diaz cause of the same camp, and I dont see him being able to compete with Hendo or Jacare. If King Mo goes down to 185 he will dominate Jake too. The best thing for Shields to do is go to the UFC WW division.
How do you think Jake will beat Dan? He is going to stand and trade cause their wrestling offset and if they do that Hendo will have another highlight KO.
Competition is good but it also ruins the chance to see the best fights. I would love to see how Diaz and Sheilds would do in the UFC WW division. Like Dana said if Diaz only played the game like 10 % he would be in the UFC but missing drug tests, stupid comments, keep him fighting second rate fighters in SF.
I am stoked to see Mousasi vs King Mo though
Only 2 fighters would step up. Sonnen & Marquardt. It will be the latter if Sonnen does not get clearance to fight
Marquardt will NOT get a title shot right now 100%
when was the last time a fighter got a title shot after a loss? there’s no way the UFC does it.
Tito interviewing Babalu: "I want to tell me what you see, let's go ahead and see by the fight, what you saw, in the ring."
Tito interviewing Fedor: "Let me tell you how you feeling right now?"
Honestly
A jump to 205 for a fight seems appropriate. I know Couture and Franklin might be fighting, I say cancel that and have Couture/Silva. That would sell very well, and put Franklin vs. Cane.
Did u forget Okami
WASNT winning the first fight. And Lost because Anderson knocked his ass out with upkicks inside his own guard
by AintNoSunshine on Feb 12, 2010 8:47 PM EST up reply actions
http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2010/2/12/1308507/cyrille-the-snake-diabate-signs
We can forget about Luis cane vs AS!
Never Thought Cane would be Considered
There trying to rebuild the young fighter
by AintNoSunshine on Feb 12, 2010 8:47 PM EST up reply actions
Well i mentioned him in my post earlier today as a guy that as nothing coming up in the 185 or 205 that could eventually face Silva..
Now the only options are:
Akiyama
Maia
Okami
Thiago Silva….
I humbly believe
it will be Chael Sonnen. And when i say humbly I mean pretty damn sure.
by AintNoSunshine on Feb 12, 2010 8:54 PM EST up reply actions
Okami would be another options if they go forward with a 185 title defense… It is not like he has not been promised 2 times already!
Um No.
Okami, Nate = Both qulaity guys who should have been title contenders only to see that be decisioned away by Chael Sonnen
by AintNoSunshine on Feb 12, 2010 8:49 PM EST up reply actions
Damn this is the fight i really wanted to see
geez. how frustrating.
by MMA-Supplements on Feb 12, 2010 10:59 PM EST reply actions
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