Wanderlei Silva Pulled From Bellator 131 Appearance Due to UFC Contractual Obligations

Twenty-four hours after it was announced that Wanderlei Silva would be part of the Bellator 131 pre-fight festivities, “The Axe Murderer” has been pulled from the pre-fight schedule due to previous contractual obligations.

Bellator confirmed the development via Twitter on Tuesday.

Silva was scheduled to appear at Dave & Busters in San Diego on Friday following the weigh-ins alongside MMA legends Royce Gracie, Randy Couture and Frank Shamrock for the Bellator 131 “Official Pre-Party Kick Off.”

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Silva retired from mixed martial arts days before being banned for life and fined $70,000 by the Nevada Athletic Commission for evading a random drug test prior to his scheduled UFC 175 bout against Chael Sonnen. Although Silva retired, he remains under contract with the UFC.

Bellator 131 takes place on Saturday at the Valley View Casino Center. The night featuresTito Ortiz vs. Stephan Bonnar in a light heavyweight main event, plus Michael Chandler vs. Will Brooks for the vacant Bellator lightweight title.

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