After the heated carry on that was Wanderlei Silva vs Chael Sonnen, reports have now surfaced indicating that Silva will indeed not be facing his bitter foe on July 5 at UFC 175, as previously foretold by Sonnen throughout months of drawn out build up.
However, on the bright side, ‘The Phenom’ himself Vitor Belfort (24-10, pictured) has emerged once again to step in and replace his fellow Brazilian against Sonnen (28-14-1) in what’s already a well publicized rivalry, and so the UFC have comfortably switched one grudge match for another, the latter arguably being the more anticipated contest.
Brazilian website Combate first reported the development, it’s also reported that Silva failed to attend a meeting with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and as a result will not be licensed to compete in Las Vegas on July 5. The original contest was first set for UFC 173 before being rescheduled for the latest Ultimate Fight: Brazil Finale, of which saw both Silva and Sonnen face off as team coaches on the show. Furthermore, UFC president Dana White then revealed that a hand injury suffered by Silva meant that the fight would again be moved, this time to UFC 175, before Silva was then removed altogether.
UFC 175 takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, headlined by UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman defending his crown against former light-heavyweight king Lyoto Machida and Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey facing Alexis Davis.
