With Anderson Silva potentially on the sidelines until late-2013 because of his budding movie career, questions about "The Spider" are arising faster than they can be answered.
If Silva doesn't compete again until the fourth quarter of the upcoming calendar year, what happens to the superfight with Georges St. Pierre everyone wants to see? Will "Rush" fight again before facing Silva? What about all the contenders in the middleweight division eager to fight for Silva's UFC championship?
Middleweight contender Michael Bisping has a solution to the final question, as "The Count" thinks his fight with Vitor Belfort at UFC on FX 7 next January should be for the interim 185-pound title if Silva is unwilling to defend his belt in due time.
"If Anderson wants to take time off to be a movie star make me and vitor for the interim title????" Bisping wrote to UFC President Dana White Monday evening on Twitter.
If Silva does indeed sit out for roughly a year, it would be more than fair for the promotion to create an interim belt. Whether Bisping vs. Belfort is the fight that should be for that belt is an entirely different story.
There is no telling what the UFC will do if Silva decided not to fight until late 2013. There is no set precedent for interim UFC titles -- they are completely circumstantial. We have seen interim titles created over contract disputes and champions getting injured, but never before has an interim title bout been put together because the champion wants to act in a movie.
Silva last defended his title against Chael Sonnen at UFC 148 last July. He then appeared for a "fun" Light Heavyweight shellacking of Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153. Should he not fight again until late-2013, it would be over one year since he defended his belt, which under most people's standards would be viewed as unacceptable.
Bisping is known for being a fighter who doesn't hold back with his opinion on anything. The Brit wants to fight for a UFC title as much or more than anyone on the roster, and while some may not view interim championships as being legitimate, if Bisping can talk the UFC into making his Jan. 19 bout with Belfort for the gold, good on him.
Stay tuned.