UFC middleweight Chris Weidman has shoulder surgery, out four months

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight contender Chris Weidman is going under the knife.

Again.

The "All American," who was expected to throw hands opposite Tim Boetsch at the UFC 155 pay-per-view (PPV) event next month is Las Vegas, was forced to withdraw due to a shoulder injury suffered in training while grappling with light heavyweights Ryan Bader and Gian Villante.

From his official Twitter account:

"Off to get surgery today. Excited to get this over with and get rehabbing and come back stronger than ever. Thanks for the support. I'm told I'll be at 100 percent at 4 months if everything goes smoothly."

Taking his place against "The Barbarian" will be his Team Serra-Longo teammate, Constantinos Philippou.

Weidman (9-0) shot to the front of the "mix" by obliterating Mark Munoz earlier this year on FUEL TV; however, it's been all downhill from there. After Anderson Silva deemed him unworthy as a contender, his house was TKOed by Superstorm Sandy in late October.

For his sake, let's hope 2013 starts better than 2012 ended.