Chris Weidman needs knee surgery, UFC 173 fight against Lyoto Machida postponed until UFC 175

Vitor Belfort was forced out of an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight title fight against division champion Chris Weidman because "The Phenom" needed more time to prepare without the assistance of the now-banned Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT).

Dana White and Co., however, didn't want to wait, inserting Lyoto Machida instead to fight "All American" in the main event at UFC 173, which takes place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 24, 2014.

Now, it seems, UFC will have choice but to, in fact, wait.

That's because Weidman will undergo minor knee surgery, according to Yahoo!Sports.com, which will require a four-to-six-week recovery time. As a result, Weidman will likely fight Machida at UFC 175, which is set for Mandalay Bay Events Center on July 5, 2014, serving as the blockbuster pay-per-view (MMA) main event that will anchor the ambitious "International Fight Week" on Fourth of July weekend.

White explains:

"This is something that's been bothering him for a while. The knee pops out and Lorenzo had told him a while ago to just get it taken care of and be done with it. He didn't do it, and unfortunately, it became more and more of a problem for him ... we're very confident [he'll be healed in time to fight Machida]."

According to the report, CEO Lorenzo Fertitta is on the hunt for a new UFC 173 replacement; however, one name who will be unable to fill the void is women's Bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey, who has other commitments that she must fulfill.

Stay tuned.