Anderson Silva cleared for light training, but unlikely to fight at UFC 200

Anderson Silva underwent surgery three days before his planned bout with Uriah Hall at UFC 198, and it’s unlikely that he returns to the Octagon in July.

The former UFC middleweight champion, who looks for his first win inside the Octagon since 2012, had to undergo surgery on May 11 to remove his gall bladder. Two days after the surgery, his trainer Rogerio Camoes told Sherdog that he was hoping to come back at UFC 200.

"Thank God everything went fine and Anderson is already planning his return," Camoes said on May 13. "(Silva) told me, ‘Master, pack everything up. We’re going to UFC 200.’ The most important thing is that he kept his mind strong and didn’t lose his motivation. On the contrary, he’s really motivated to take part at that historical UFC 200 event."

"The Spider" was recently cleared to light training, sources told MMA Fighting. As for Silva's plans to return to the Octagon at UFC 200, scheduled for July 9 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, his boxing coach Luiz Carlos Dorea said it’s "really hard" to expect the former champion to be ready to fight at that date.

UFC 200 currently features 11 bouts, including three title fights. In the main event, Daniel Cormier faces Jon Jones for the light heavyweight crown, while Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar battle for the interim featherweight belt. Also in the event, Miesha Tate puts her bantamweight title on the line versus Amanda Nunes.

Silva (33-7, 1 NC), who dominated the UFC middleweight division between 2006 and 2012, has gone winless in his last four fights. After losing twice to Chris Weidman, the Brazilian had a unanimous decision victory over Nick Diaz overturned after failing a drug test, and most recently lost a decision against Michael Bisping in London.