World Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva will not be returning to the Octagon until 2011 due to a rib injury. Silva’s jiu jitsu coach Ramon Lemos told Fighters Only that:
“After the first round he said he broke his ribs. He said told me he could not breath because of the rib. I told him to forget the rib and work the movement of legs and he would get the triangle… After the fight he went to the hospital and did an x-ray and the doctor said he did not break it, it was just a crack,” he said.
“Anderson is expected to return in February or March. We have not talked, but he has to take care of injuries, he fought twice last year and had an operation on his elbow. This year he made two more fights and now with this rib injury … He is no longer a boy, he is 34 years old.”
This is news is not a surprise, given that Anderson Silva had complained about problems with his ribs immediately after successfully defending his title against Chael Sonnen. At the post-fight press conference he had also talked about how when he had finished helping the Noguerias prepare for their matches at UFC 119 he wanted to take some time off to return to Brazil and be with his family. There is no word yet on how this will effect the world middleweight title picture, with the most likely contenders appearing to be either Vitor Belfort or Chael Sonnen.
