Silva will defend the belt Jan. 2, hopefully.
Ed Soares recently told MMA Junkie that Anderson Silva’s proposed title fight with Vitor Belfort is up in the air, as Silva’s camp is waiting to receive doctor’s clearance for him to begin training.
Soares told the Web site that Silva had elbow surgery to remove pieces of bone that were lodged in the elbow. He added that the procedure was supposed to happen after the Thales Leites fight, but the bout with Forrest Griffin was offered. So Silva and his camp didn’t hesitate to accept the deal, and elected to postpone the surgery.
His opponent Belfort made an impressive return to the UFC, knocking out Rich Franklin in the first round at UFC 104. Though UFC president Dana White has expressed that Belfort is a legit contender, Soares suggest that the fight maybe premature, due to Belfort’s inability to make the 195-pound limit on his first try against Franklin.
“[Belfort] hasn’t fought at 185 pounds,” Soares told MMA Junkie. “He doesn’t make weight the first time he steps on the scale at 195 pounds, and now he’s going to fight for the 185-pound title? But hey, it’s their choice.”
Soares said the camp will wait until the end of the week to decide if the bout will take place. If the fight does not take place, Soares is confident that the UFC will understand.
“Anderson’s health is what’s most important,” Soares said. “If he ends up not fighting on Jan. 2, I believe the UFC will understand. They want the champ to be at his best. … But we really want to fight. We want to get him in there and fight as fast as possible. … The sooner we can break that UFC record of six-straight title defenses, the better.”
