Less than 24 hours after its announcement, UFC Fight Night 35’s co-main event is off the books.
Brazilian veteran Thiago Silva has withdrawn from his light heavyweight clash against Ovince St. Preux, UFC officials announced on Thursday. A new co-main event is expected to be announced shortly.
UFC Fight Night 35 takes place January 15, 2014 in Duluth, Georgia at The Arena at Gwinnett Center. Middleweight contenders Luke Rockhold and Constantinos Philippou are expected to headline the event.
Silva (16-3) hoped to extend his recent two-fight win streak, which includes a decision victory over Matt Hamill as well as a double bonus winning first-round knockout of Rafael Cavalcante.
Prior to his recent turnaround, Silva either lost or suffered a no contest in four of five fights, including failing a drug test for marijuana and a no contest due to a falsified urine sample.
St. Preux (14-5), on the other hand, now awaits a new opponent with the hopes of continuing his torrid run. The 30-year-old carries an impressive 11-1 record over his past 12 contests, including a perfect 2-0 start to his UFC career, first edging Gian Villante via majority decision then knocking out Cody Donovan in August.