"Off the top of my head, I think of the Superbowl card in February, but this is something that could change depending on his recovery schedule and the UFC's business schedule. But the way things are going right now, I can tell you that he'll be ready sooner than expected ... But he's very anxious because he's such an active guy. He has great genetics, so his recovery is going great. The challenge for us as a team has been to hold him back and make sure he takes his time. Honestly, we don't mind talk of interim titles, because this is the UFC's decision and not ours. Shogun has the belt and it means a lot to him and he's the legit UFC champion right now. If the UFC decides to set up an interim title for other fighters, it's not really for us to evaluate this. Each manager is really trying to push his fighter's best interests. The way we see it, unless a champion retires, the interim champion is just another contender."
Good news from Mauricio Rua's manager, Eduardo Alonso, as he tells Sherdog.com that "Shogun" could be back in action as early as February 2011. The UFC light heavyweight champion usurped the 205-pound title from Lyoto Machida back at UFC 113 but required knee surgery immediately following the victory. In his absence, Rashad Evans was able to defeat "Rampage" Jackson to become the division's number one contender. Should the UFC wait another six months (or more) to see these two hook 'em up? Or does "Suga'" compete for an Interim title during the Brazilian's recovery?
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