Machida Off UFC 89 Card, Baron v Miller Official

The UFC officially pulled the light heavyweight match between Fighters.com’s fifth-ranked “Dragon” Lyoto Machida (13-0) and tenth-ranked Thiago Silva (13-0) off the UFC 89 card Wednesday, happening 18 October in Birmingham.

The organization also confirmed a lightweight match between between David Baron (16-2) and Jim Miller (11-1) at the same event.

Silva withdrew last week due to a back injury, and now Machida has also been removed completely from the card.

Machida told Tatame, “There’s no way to find an opponent now, and I’ll have to wait another event to fight.  I don’t know who I’ll face, UFC didn’t say anything yet, only that I won’t fight at UFC 89.  It’s sad because I was focused, training hard and prepared, but this kind of things happens.”

Machida most recently faced “Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz (15-6-1), winning a unanimous decision at UFC 84 in May.

Shooto veteran Baron won his last fight via first-round guillotine choke over “Mach” Hayato Sakurai (32-8-2) in May.

Baron has not been defeated since Fighters.com’s second-ranked lightweight “Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (29-3) caught him with a rear naked choke at PRIDE in 2008.

Miller last fought in the IFL, winning a unanimous decision over “Bartimus” Bart Palaszewski (29-11) in April.