The UFC 89 clash between undefeated Brazilian light heavyweights Thiago Silva and Lyoto Machida will not go off as planned, as Silva has suffered a back injury that will keep him out until December.

The Silva-Machida match-up was a big one for the UFC light heavyweight division, as Machida is widely believed to be just one more win away from earning a title shot, and Silva could enter the title picture, too, if he were to beat Machida. It's unclear whether Machida will still fight at UFC 89, and if so, who his opponent might be.

Personally, I believe Machida deserves a title shot against champion Forrest Griffin, but UFC President Dana White has already said that if Chuck Liddell beats Rashad Evans at UFC 88 tomorrow night, Liddell will get the next title shot.

So what happens to Machida? If Liddell loses it's possible that a Machida-Griffin bout could take place, but I think it's more likely that Machida will either get another opponent at UFC 89 (maybe Shogun Rua?) or wait until Silva is healthy to fight again.