UFC Heavyweight, Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva was recently under the knife as doctors took out a pituitary gland tumor that has reemerged from before. The surgery is likely to keep Silva in the hospital for a week more.

Silva suffers from acromegaly, hence the moniker "Bigfoot." It is a syndrome that makes the pituitary gland create excess amounts of growth hormones. The disease usually hits middle-aged people and is hard to diagnose early on.

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If left uncheck, it can result in disfigurement and even death.

Early in 2007, Silva was set to have a fight on the Dynamite!! USA card, representing his old organization, EliteXC.

However, the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) refused to license Silva as they discovered a benign tumor on his pituitary gland during the pre-fight medical checkups.

Silva had brain surgery at the time to have the tumor removed, but it resurfaced recently.

Given that the tumor is benign, it may still cause problems because of its size such as loss of vision, loss of normal pituitary functions and massive headaches.

According to information released by the University of Virginia, School of Medicine, 16 percent of patients who have their tumors removed will see their tumors recur, with 10 percent needing more surgery, like what Silva experienced.

Silva has had troubles staying healthy for most of his career. His tumor led him to use testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) to battle the negative effects of it.

However, the treatment also got him in trouble with some UFC brass, overturning his performance of the night fight against Mark Hunt.

Silva's last match was against Andrei Arlovski, where he was knocked out in the first round.

He is sidelined because of the surgery and may see a return in early 2015.

TagsUFC, Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva, Tumor, Surgery