Anderson Silva Out of UFC 198 Bout with Uriah Hall, May Require Gallbladder Surgery

Anderson Silva has withdrawn from UFC 198 with only days left before the pay-per-view event in Curitiba, Brazil.

UFC officials confirmed to Yahoo Sports on Tuesday that the former middleweight champion was forced from his bout against Uriah Hall due to “abdominal pain that may require gall bladder surgery.”

UFC medical consultant Jeff Davidson told the site that Silva’s symptoms were consistent with “acute cholecystitis,” an inflammation of the gallbladder often caused by gallstones blocking the passage of fluids. It is the primary reason for patients having their gallbladders removed.

Silva and Hall’s 185-pound matchup was slated to feature on the PPV portion of Saturday’s card, which takes place at Curitiba’s Joaquim Americo Guimaraes Stadium. UFC President Dana White told Yahoo Sports that the organization hopes to keep Hall on the card and is currently seeking a replacement opponent.

Silva, 41, was looking to rebound from a February outing which saw “The Spider” drop a five-round unanimous decision to Michael Bisping. Once considered the pound-for-pound king of MMA, Silva does not have an official win on his record since October 2012.