Anderson Silva's recovery slow, not fighting Vitor Belfort at UFC 109
Scratch one more title fight for the UFC.
MMAjunkie.com has learned from sources close to the organization that a planned bout between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort will not take place on Feb. 6.
Silva's has bone chips removed from his right elbow in October, and the joint has reportedly proved slow to heal.
Sources close to the situation informed MMAjunkie.com that "The Spider" might not be ready to fight until April, though Silva's manager, Ed Soares, wasn't immediately available for comment.
Silva and Belfort were originally slated for UFC 108 on Jan. 2, but that date was also nixed due to the elbow surgery.
In an October conversation with MMAjunkie.com, Soares insisted his fighter would return at 100 percent.
"Anderson's recovery is going really, really well," Soares said. "He's coming back, and his recovery is doing really good. His physical therapy is going really well. He's getting better range of motion. He'll be back 100 percent for sure."
While that may still prove to be true, the original timeframe for Silva's recovery has obviously been adjusted.
MMAjunkie.com was unable to establish whether the UFC would seek to find a new opponent for Belfort or if "The Phenom" will ride out the new delay for his shot at the UFC's middleweight title.
A few of Silva's detractors have suggested the champ is avoiding a fight with Belfort while allowing a new middleweight contender to emerge. Soares insisted in October that Silva will fight Belfort as soon as possible.
"At the end of the day, it's going to be a great fight," Soares said. "Like I said before, I don't think [Belfort] deserves a title shot, but that's over with now. It is what it is.
"Whoever the UFC puts in front of us, we'll fight. We've never picked our opponents."
With the loss of the evening's planned main event, the UFC will likely turn to the light heavyweight match between Hall of Famers Randy Couture and Mark Coleman to fill UFC 109's headline slot.