Vitor Belfort pulled from UFC 175, no longer required to appear at NSAC hearing on June 17

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is throwing in the towel.

Not surprisingly, embattled middleweight contender, Vitor Belfort, has been yanked from the upcoming UFC 175: "Weidman vs. Machida" pay-per-view (PPV) event, which takes place inside Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 5, 2014.

That's according to MMA Junkie, who was told by UFC brass that no one is available to fight "The Phenom" (sorry Wandy) after his original opponent, Chael Sonnen, failed a surprise drug test and subsequently retired. Sonnen was originally slated to face Wanderlei Silva, but "The Axe Murderer" fled the scene with drug testers ambushed him in "Sin City."

Get all the gory details on that three-man fiasco here.

With Belfort no longer appearing at UFC 175, the Brazilian can now skip the upcoming hearing by Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) on June 17, 2014. He was expected to appear and answer for his own failed drug test back in February, one that forced him to withdraw from UFC 173 over Memorial Day Weekend.

You can thank the recent ban on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for that.

But with no fight scheduled, he does not need to apply for his license, so his business with NSAC will have to be put on hold until a later date. That's assuming Belfort returns to Nevada for his next fight, since there is already a commission willing to license him without pause.

Probably not the best PR move, but it's not like this thing can get any worse.

Or can it?