By Mike Chiappetta
- Senior Writer
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The long-anticipated rematch between
Thiago Alves and
Jon Fitch has been delayed yet again, MMA Fighting has learned.
The bout has been pushed back to
UFC 117, UFC President
Dana White confirmed to MMA Fighting.
"Making sure Alves is 1000 percent healthy," White replied via text when asked the reason for the postponement.
The 26-year-old Alves
had brain surgery on March 31 to separate an artery from a vein in his brain, an irregularity that was discovered just days before he was supposed to meet Fitch at
UFC 111 in Newark, N.J.
Fitch defeated late replacement
Ben Saunders at the event, and the UFC re-booked Fitch-Alves for
UFC 115 in June, but now it appears the company will err on the side of caution and give Alves a little more time to heal and prepare.
UFC 117 has not yet officially been announced by the UFC, but is expected to take place on August 7 in Oakland, Calif.
Alves and Fitch squared off once before in June 2006, with Fitch earning a second-round TKO victory. Since then, the two have rocketed up the welterweight top 10 list and are considered by most to be top contenders behind champion
Georges St. Pierre.
Alves has not fought since last July's UFC 100, when he lost to St. Pierre via unanimous decision.
Read More: dana white, thiag alves, ufc 111, ufc 115, ufc 117, mma fighting exclusive, front page rss, news, Ben Saunders (MMA), Georges St. Pierre (MMA), Jon Fitch (MMA)
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