It might not have a truly massive European or North American name on board, but UFC 198 has enough Brazilian stars to draw in fans from across the globe.
The line-up is co-headlined by Fabricio Werdum’s title defence against Stipe Miocic and the all-Brazilian battle between Vitor Belfort and Ronaldo ‘Jacaré’ Souza, but another South American hero has had to withdraw.
Anderson Silva, the former middleweight champion and one of the UFC’s all-time greats, has has been forced to withdraw from the event in Curitiba, with MMAFighting reporting that he may require gall bladder surgery.
According to a statement from the promotion, efforts are being made to find an alternative opponent for Uriah Hall, who was due to face the 41-year-old, but “it is not certain whether he will remain on the card or not.”
Silva, whose UFC debut came almost a decade ago, has a career MMA record of 33 wins and seven losses, plus one no-contest when he defeated Nick Diaz only for both fighters to test positive for banned substances.
His last recorded victory came in October 2012 – the intervening period has seen the Sao Paulo-born fighter miss extended periods first through injury, and then through a drugs ban accrued following the Diaz fight.
The veteran, who held the middleweight belt for a record 2,457 days, could return to training before the end of June.
