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Mixed martial arts (MMA) fans hoping to learn Wanderlei Silva had saved UFC on FUEL TV 9, which takes place at Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, on Sat., April 6, 2013, by accepting a bout against Gegard Mousasi on just six days notice, are likely to be disappointed.
And may have an "Axe" to grind with the "Murderer."
Silva took to Twitter.com last night to alert his loyal social supporters that Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) officials contacted him about filling in for the injured Alexander Gustafsson, who sustained a significant cut in training over the weekend and was not cleared by Swedish MMA Federation to compete against the "Dream Catcher."
He catch you!
UFC President Dana White attempted to assuage concerns, saying that the main event was "still on" and that "nothing had changed." SporTV reported, however, that Silva -- who claimed he was "uninjured" and "training normal" -- had verbally agreed to the bout and all that remained to make it official was financial terms and, of course, signatures from both parties. That, however, was clearly not the case.
Today, the Brazilian let the cat out of the bag via his Instagram account:
I catch you wand the best April first ever!! But I would like this to be true!!! O melhor primeiro de Abril ever,+ so nao vou por que o UFC nao me ligou + eu gostaria que isso fosse verdade!!! Bom dia
Turns out it was all one big gag to celebrate April Fool's Day. Tee hee. Either that, or ZUFFA balked at Wandy's asking price, which likely approached "Anderson Silva money" considering the brevity of the situation.
Poor Mousasi.
The soft-spoken Armenian appeared to be in the dark about the situation; however, he vowed to punch Gustafsson in his cut or anyone else for that matter who stepped up on super short notice. He seemed unconcerned about a possible opponent switch and even graciously accepted Silva's challenge via Twitter.com.
His words:
"hey mr Silva, if this is true and you are ready to fight me than I accept the fight, It's an honor for me Much respect for you."
Hopefully the former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion has a good sense of humor.
In addition the mystery main event, UFC on Fuel TV 9 will feature a lightweight co-main event between Ryan Couture vs. Ross Pearson, as well as a heavyweight showdown between Philip De Fries vs. Matt Mitrione, among others.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC on Fuel TV 9: "Silva vs. Mousasi" fight card and rumors click here. And to check out our complete event archive, which includes all the event-related news and notes you can handle, click here.
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