· Belfort Forced Off “UFC 112: Invincible” Card

After being rumored earlier in the week, UFC president Dana White officially confirmed that Vitor Belfort is indeed injured and has been forced out of an expected middleweight title contest at the upcoming “UFC 112: Invincible” event. The bout was slated to be the main event at Concert Arena at the Ferrari World theme park on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The earlier reports stated that the injury was to Belfort's shoulder.

Although the immediate plans for a replacement, if any, have not been announced, it would appear that Anderson Silva will likely remain on the card. Silva’s camp stated earlier in the day that they had not heard anything about the Belfort injury and were continuing to prepare for the event until the withdrawal was confirmed.

Belfort earned his shot at the UFC title when he returned to the organization this past September at UFC 103. In that fight, Belfort knocked out former Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin, the man that Anderson Silva defeated for the title.

With or without Silva, the “UFC 112: Invincible” event still has several exciting bouts already in the works. Previously announced, lightweight champion B.J. Penn will defend his title against Frankie “The Answer” Edgar, and former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes will take on the returning Renzo Gracie.

Other rumored bouts on the card include:

Kendall Grove vs. Mark Munoz
Nick Osipczak vs. Rick Story
Rafael dos Anjos vs. Terry Etim
John Gunderson vs. Paul Taylor
Paul Kelly vs. Matt Veach
Mostapha Al Turk vs. Jon Madsen
DaMarques Johnson vs. TBA