Although an injury has forced Alistair Overeem (36-12 MMA, 1-1 UFC) out of May's UFC 160 lineup, it appears UFC officials will simply delay his bout with fellow heavyweight contender Junior dos Santos (15-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC).
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) passed along news of Overeem's withdrawal from the May 25 event on Wednesday.
Overnight, UFC President Dana White suggested a replacement won't be sought.
"Not lookin good," White tweeted when asked about a possible replacement. "Cigano vs Overeem in the summer."
A few names, including recent UFC on FUEL TV 8 co-main-event winner Mark Hunt, had emerged as possibilities. The New Zealander even suggested his fans direct their requests to White himself.
"I want in troops and only the boss @danawhite can make it happen lets go army ATTACK the general wants in on this fight," he tweeted.
For now, though, it appears the UFC will proceed with Overeem vs. dos Santos, which could be a title eliminator. White didn't give a definitive timetable for the bout, though Overeem later tweeted that he suffered a slight tear in his quad muscle.
Overeem looks to bounce back from the first loss of his career since September 2007. His return from an extended layoff due to a failed drug test came this past month at UFC 156, where he was a win away from a title shot. But an unexpected loss to Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva spoiled his shot at the belt.
Dos Santos looks to rebound from his a recent loss to Velasquez at UFC 155 in December. It was his first defeat in the UFC and came in his second defense of the heavyweight title, which he had won from Velasquez in late 2011.
Source: MMAJunkie.com