Pending elbow surgery sidelines Anderson Silva until 2010
By: Jesse Holland
Looks like we’ll have a little more time to figure out which middleweight contender is going to be next in line for a shot at Anderson Silva’s 185-pound crown — courtesy of a bum elbow “The Spider” has elected to have surgery to repair.
While details of the procedure are still unclear, the gang down at ESPN’s “MMA Live” posted the unfortunate (but not surprising) news on their official Twitter account.
Not surprising because “Spider” spokesman and manager Ed Soares has been adamant about his client taking a few months off to rest and recover from some existing injuries following his dissection of Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 back on August 8.
Soares even made the unofficial match-up of Nate Marquardt vs. Dan Henderson following “The Great” knockout over Demian Maia at last month’s UFC 102 in order determine a number one contender for the division title while Silva recuperates.
While it makes sense on paper considering both competitors have faced Silva before, it was an idea not warmly received by Hendo.
UFC President Dana White has not yet committed to a direction for the 185-pound division, but with Silva going under the knife, he’ll have plenty of time to consider different scenarios.
But how long are fans willing to wait?
With a surgically repaired “Axe Murderer” already planning a middleweight debut plus the return of a suddenly slimmer Vitor Belfort, there should be enough to keep us busy for the next six months.
Who knows, maybe even Yushin Okami will “Thunder” his way back into contention.