Mark Munoz undergoes successful surgery, expects UFC return in May

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight contender Mark Munoz underwent successful surgery on Thursday (Jan. 19, 2012) to remove bone spurs and floating "chips" on and around his elbow.

Mark Munoz tweets a few pics from the recovery room after having elbow surgery to alleviate some pesky bone spurs. (Shown above)

The recovery period is four to six weeks, with a timetable of May 2012 for his Octagon return. The "Filipino Tweeting Machine" updated fans on his progress via the popular social media platform.

The injury forced Munoz to withdraw from his UFC on FOX 2 match-up against Chael Sonnen, paving the way for British bad boy Michael Bisping to step up and get his shot. "The Count" had to abandon Demian Maia to do it, but Chris Weidman was more than willing to step in and take his place.

That means division champion Anderson Silva will have an opponent named at the conclusion of the Jan. 28 network televised event from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. It also puts the winner of Maia vs. Weidman at the forefront of the 185-pound contenders.

Will Mark Munoz be waiting for him? Or will he be the next in line for a title shot?

Either case, get well Mark, looking forward to seeing you back in the cage.

Who should Bisping fight Next?

In the aftermath of the TUF 14 Finale, one questions arises and that is who should Michael Bisping fight next?

While it was officially announced that Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz will be fighting in a title eliminator in the upcoming UFC on Fox 2, it is up to Bisping to get a win over a quality opponent for him to get into title contention or be the next in line.

Some are already clamoring for a rematch with Wanderlei Silva but that was put to rest. Some opponents that come to mind would be Brian Stann, the winner of the Vitor Belfort and Anthony Johnson bout or maybe even the loser of the Middleweight title eliminator. Which ever the case, Bisping himself mentioned that he is not yet ready for the shot a the title, however a win over a quality opponent would certainly put him in line for a title shot.