THIS WEEKEND’S STAR-STUDDED card at UFC 198 has been hit by the late withdrawal of Anderson Silva.
The former UFC middleweight champion has been forced to pull out of his clash with Uriah Hall, which was scheduled to take place on Saturday’s main card at the Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil.
The UFC released a statement last night which stated that ‘The Spider’ was suffering from an illness, with MMAFighting.com reporting that the 41-year-old will undergo surgery today to remove his gall bladder.
Silva — who was due to fight in his native Brazil for the first time since facing Stephan Bonnar in October 2012, which was his last victory — was rushed to hospital yesterday, four hours before his flight from Rio de Janeiro to Curitiba.
The UFC says it is currently exploring potential replacement opponents for Uriah Hall but it’s not certain that he will remain on Saturday’s bill, which will be headlined by a heavyweight title bout between Stipe Miocic and champion Fabricio Werdum.
Hall (12-6) is aiming to bounce back from a defeat to Robert Whittaker last November, while Silva (33-7-0-1) was beaten by Michael Bisping when he returned from a one-year ban for performance-enhancing drug use in February.
Update at 15.10: Uriah Hall is now off Saturday’s card.
The42 is on Snapchat! Tap the button below on your phone to add!
