UFC 139: Belfort Out; Wanderlei Silva Now Faces Cunge Le
By Brian Lopez-Benchimol
(Featured Columnist) on September 21, 2011
Just a few moments ago, UFC president Dana White announced a change to an upcoming middleweight clash.
Previously, former light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort was scheduled to meet with Strikeforce transplant Cung Le in San Jose for UFC 139, which takes place November 19 at the HP Pavilion. However, things haven't exactly gone according to plan.
The head honcho recently revealed via Twitter that the pivotal match-up will no longer be taking place, though the star power of the bout has not lost it's luster.
Vitor is injured and out of the San Jose fight. Now Cung Le will fight Wandy!
"Wandy," which translates to Wanderlei Silva, will be taking on Le in hostile territory, though Silva has long been regarded as a fan favorite due to his legacy and the frantic style of fighting he brings to the Octagon, which has since cost him in his career.
Following an impressive decision win over perennial contender Michael Bisping at UFC 110 in February of last year, Silva was sidelined due to mounting injuries. However, he later returned in July. "The Axe Murderer" was pitted against fellow heavy-hitter, Chris Leben.
"The Crippler" took all but 27-seconds to knock out his hero, leaving Silva 2-4 since returning to the Octagon in 2007.
Le, meanwhile, will be making his UFC debut come this November against Silva. The San-Shou specialist has translated his background in striking to a successful one as a mixed martial artist, having claimed the Strikeforce middleweight title in a third-round TKO over "The Legend" Frank Shamrock in 2008.
The 39-year-old has suffered one lone loss in his career, a late rally knockout loss to "Hands of Steel" Scott Smith. The defeat came on the heels of a 21-month layoff, due to his obligations as an actor.
The former champ later avenged the loss in June of last year, finishing Smith in the second-round with a brilliant spinning back-kick.
The bout could be a final hoorah for both men, as another loss for Silva could likely lead to a Dana White "Chuck Liddell" speech, while Le, who's nearing his 40th birthday, is clearly running on borrowed time.