default-cbs-image

Despite hinting at retirement in the lead-up to his UFC middleweight championship loss to Georges St-Pierre last weekend, Michael Bisping appears headed back to the Octagon. 

And the turnaround is no joke. 

Bisping, 38, has been targeted to replace Anderson Silva, who was flagged Friday for a possible anti-doping violation by USADA, in the main event of the Nov. 25 UFC Fight Night card in Shanghai against Kelvin Gastelum (13-3). 

UFC announcer Jon Anik confirmed the news, first reported by MMAFighting.com, during the broadcast of Saturday's Fight Night card in Norfolk. 

Fresh off a one-year layoff, Bisping surrendered his 185-pound title via third-round submission in a hard-fought loss to St-Pierre at UFC 217. He accepted the Gastelum fight on just two weeks' notice and will enter the cage in China three weeks to the day of his last fight. 

Bisping (30-8) received nothing but praise on social media for his willingness to fight anyone at any time (reminiscent of his title-winning upset knockout of Luke Rockhold on 17 days' notice). But the British star's return appears to violate the 30-day medical suspension Bisping was given by the New York State Athletic Commission as a result of the damage sustained against GSP. 

Silva, 42, who holds the UFC record for middleweight title defenses with 10, failed a drug test for the second time in four years. In his first fight back after suffering a fractured leg against Chris Weidman, Silva saw his 2013 decision win over Nick Diaz changed to a no contest after he tested positive for four banned substances. 

Bisping's trip to China will be his second after defeating Cung Le via TKO during a 2014 fight in Macau. His return against Gastelum, which will air exclusively on UFC Fight Pass, marks the promotion's first visit to mainland China.

Gastelum, 26, is fresh off of a third-round submission loss to former champion Chris Weidman. 

While Bisping's 21-day layoff is rare during the modern era after UFC abandoned its one-night tournament format, it's eight days longer than the UFC record. Chas Skelly returned from a 13-day layoff to defeat Sean Soriano by decision in 2014. 

Immediately after his loss to St-Pierre, Bisping announced his intention to continue fighting. It's fair to question, however, whether Bisping is looking to walk away on his own terms after a victory, which could justify his decision to take the fight on such short notice immediately after a training camp.