The return of Anderson Silva is not in jeopardy as Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Lorenzo Fertita confirmed that the former middleweight champion's showdown against Nick Diaz will push through.
Diaz, who will face Silva at UFC 183 on January 31 in Las Vegas, is facing legal charges after reportedly driving while under influence, leading to incidents and eight charges against him.
Fertita said that he has not yet talked to Diaz about the incident, but he insisted that the charges against the 31-year-old are not enough reasons for them to cancel the fight.
"We don't really get involved on that level other than staying in touch to understand what's happening," Fertita said via ESPN. "We're going to find out more when he has his court date. I don't necessarily think, and this is me personally, the charges would prevent the fight from happening. I've never seen a situation where a commission didn't license someone to fight because of a DUI."
Fertita conceded, though, that UFC could sanction Diaz following the legal process on his case and after his fight against Silva, who will be returning after undergoing surgery to repair a gruesome leg injury he sustained in December last year.
"Look, clearly it's a potential violation of our code of conduct," Fertita said. "It's something we have to sit down and take a look at, but I can't make any decisions or rush to judgment until this thing kind of plays out. That's why the legal system is there. If we start handing down decisions before we know the facts, it's not a good situation."
Meanwhile, Chris Weidman apologized to his fans for the delay of his scheduled defense against Vitor Belfort after sustaining a hairline fracture in his left hand.
Weidman, the reigning UFC middleweight champion, posted a photo of him on Instagram showing his injured left hand in cast that was captioned: "Want to thank my fans for all the support. I'll be back soon stronger than ever."
Weidman was supposed to defend his title at UFC 181 on Dec. 6, but the injury forced UFC to reschedule the title fight to February. The exact date and venue are still unknown at this point.
