According to MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani, the UFC’s own Ultimate Insider may have jumped the gun in announcing a UFC 130 showdown between middleweights Wanderlei Silva and Brian Stann. Helwani indicated last night that the match-up was never official or signed:
Earlier this week, UFC.com’s Ultimate Insider reported that the middleweight clash was signed for Memorial Day weekend. However, a UFC source with knowledge of the situation told MMA Fighting on Friday that the fight was never signed and that Silva has informed the organization that he won’t be healthy enough to compete on the card.
As MMA Fighting first reported last month, the organization was hoping to put the fight together for UFC 130.
No opponents have been signed for either Stann or Silva. There is still a chance Stann, the former WEC light heavyweight champion, will compete on the May 28 card against someone else.
UFC 130 is being headlined by the third and final chapter of the Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard trilogy. Silva’s absence could hurt the card’s supporting cast, but with the depth of the UFC’s roster and the inclusion of the featherweight and bantamweight divisions — it shouldn’t be a problem finding fresh bodies. It’s only a question of whether White and company can build a card around Edgar vs. Maynard that will gain considerable attention and revenue.