A UFC middleweight title fight between champion Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort is not yet signed and won’t be happening at UFC 125 on Jan. 1. But according to Silva’s manager, Ed Soares, the bout will take place in 2011.
“No confirmed date; it’s not signed yet,” Soares told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of “The MMA Hour.” “It’ll happen in the early portion of 2011, but it’s not going to happen Jan. 1 just because he wants to make sure he’s 100 percent. He feels good – he’s probably 80-85 percent.”
Soares said the UFC middleweight champ’s ribs continue to bother him, saying they were hurt going into his UFC 117 title defense against Chael Sonnen during a training session with Olympic gold medal-winning judoka Satoshi Ishii. Soares said in the days leading up to the fight, doctors even urged Silva to pull out of the bout.