Those three minutes against Forrest Griffin were apparently more taxing than they looked: according to MMAWeekly and manager Ed Soares, Anderson Silva is due for a vacation.
Beating people up can take a lot out of you, granted, but is this Silva taking his ball and going home with it? The UFC didn’t appear receptive to two of his camp’s suggestions: that Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt fight for a number-one contender’s slot, or that Silva move up to heavyweight to face Frank Mir. (“He’ll box [Roy] Jones before he fights [at] heavyweight,” Dana White told the site.)
Soares wasn’t specific on how long Silva wanted to recline, but the news likely wasn’t met with party favors at UFC HQ. With Georges St. Pierre out with a pulled groin and three other belts up for October and November, December could’ve used a title bout, particularly after Silva made some contribution to a rumored seven-figure buyrate for UFC 101 on Aug. 8.