Anderson Silva Pulled from UFC 198, Undergoes Gall Bladder Surgery

Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will not participate in UFC 198 on Saturday.

On Tuesday, Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports cited UFC President Dana White in reporting that Silva will not fight Uriah Hall because of abdominal pain that eventually necessitated gall bladder surgery, which took place Wednesday, per Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting. Cruz noted the fighter will be cleared from the hospital Friday.

UFC medical consultant Jeff Davidson commented on the setback Tuesday, per Iole: "Anderson developed abdominal discomfort [Monday, and] further evaluation today is consistent with acute cholecystitis."

On Wednesday, the UFC released a statement on Silva:

"

Earlier this week, medical personnel determined that Anderson Silva was suffering from inflammation of the gallbladder, a serious ailment that forced him off the UFC 198 card. As a result of the condition, Silva had successful, minimally invasive surgery in Brazil today to remove the gallbladder. He is now resting comfortably following the procedure.

The recovery period following the surgery is estimated at 4-6 weeks and Silva will be reexamined by doctors before being cleared to return to training.

Silva thanks all of his fans around the world for their support and words of encouragement during this time.

"

Iole noted that cholecystitis occurs when the gall bladder becomes inflamed and is a main cause for its removal.

Silva will surely be disappointed to miss UFC 198 since it is set to take place in Curitiba, Brazil, his native country.

He commented Tuesday on his mindset approaching the homecoming fight, per Damon Martin of FoxSports.com: "I'm very happy. I'm very excited. It's my dream to fight in Brazil—in my country, in my city. My career started here. I'm very happy, and this is very important for my legacy and my story fighting in the UFC now."

Hall has since been pulled from the event, per a UFC release.

Silva was one of the main attractions for the card considering he is widely viewed as one of the best mixed martial artists in UFC history. He defended his belt 10 times, and his reign as champion lasted a UFC-record seven years, per Martin.

Silva's legacy is largely secured, but this is another blow in what has been an inauspicious stretch. He sports an 0-3 record with a no-contest in his last four fights and was suspended for a year after he tested positive for banned substances, per Iole. He beat Nick Diaz at UFC 183, but the result was changed to that no-contest after Silva's positive test.

Silva, 41, signed a 15-fight deal with the UFC before his bout against Diaz.