Thiago Silva pulls out of UFC 117
Thiago Silva has been forced to back out from his match with Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch at UFC 117 on 7 August with less than two weeks remaining before the event. The reason for his withdrawal is an unspecified back injury sustained during training. This is the second last minute withdrawal for this event, following last week’s replacement of Stanislav Nedkov with Phil Davis.
Newcomer to the Ultimate Fighting Championships Todd “Bulldog” Brown has stepped up to take the fight at 11 days notice.
Thiago’s struggle
While an official statement has not been released about the nature of the injury, Silva does have a history of back trouble. Prior to his match against “Sugar” Rashad Evans at UFC 108, it was heavily rumoured that he'd injured his back before the fight. What exactly happened between the announcement and the fight remained unclear to fans, but he ended up facing Evans for the first decision loss of his career.
After the fight, Silva revealed that he had herniated three discs during training and was “nearly bedridden” leading up to the 2 January fight. Immediately afterwards, he checked out of the gym and into physical therapy to get back into walking shape. The injury visibly affected Silva’s game against Evans, impeding his ability to resist takedowns from the wrestler. In addition, his cardio in the third round suffered due to lack of ability to train on the injured spine in the critical last days of his camp.
UFC 117 was to be Silva’s first event in over seven months. In light of his recent injury, it is difficult to say what is next for the light heavyweight. Many considered Boetsch an easy opponent for Silva, who was favored by three to one odds prior to his withdrawal. If he can get recover from his injury once again, it could be likely he will be “babied’ by the matchmakers once again.
Due to the recurring nature of this issue, it may be best for Silva to opt for corrective surgery. While being a better option in the long run, surgery would sideline Thiago for far longer than regular recovery. And with a hiatus currently reaching eight months, the concern of ring rust is already an issue.
Boetsch’s wild card
Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch seems to be the only beneficiary from these unfortunate circumstances. With Silva out of the way, Boetsch faces an unknown in Todd “Bulldog” Brown. A loss against Silva would have removed leverage from Boetsch’s already shaky contract. The Barbarian has in fact already been cut from the UFC, following a unanimous decision loss to Jason Brilz at UFC 96. However, since returning to fighting with smaller promotions, Boetsch has gained enough momentum to earn him a fight at UFC 117.
His opponent, Todd Brown, remains a mystery to many fans of nationally broadcasted fight promotions. The Mishawaka, Indiana native has not held a fight outside of local promotions, including the Michiana Fight League, Combat USA and Ultimate Throwdown. However, within this small pond, the Bulldog has remained a big fish. Brown currently holds an 11-1 record, posting his only loss by decision to future UFC heavyweight Josh “Heavy” Hendricks in 2007.
Stylistically, Brown brings a combination of muay thai and jiu-jitsu to the fight; whereas the Barbarian is a wrestler with significant striking power. Both fighters hold a mix of submission and knockout victories, although Boetsch has never won by decision.
The benefit for Boetsch
Silva’s injury has turned Boetsch’s position looking forward from a heavy underdog to the only known name in a bout that could go either way.
The fight will take place at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California and will be broadcast live on Pay Per View.
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