Anderson Silva vs Stephan Bonnar, UFC 153
source | mmajunkie.com
USA TODAY Sports has confirmed with company officials that UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (32-4, 15-0) is moving up to 205 pounds to meet Bonnar in the main event of UFC 153 event, which takes place Oct. 13 at Rio de Janeiro’s HSBC Arena.
Additionally, Brazilian slugger Glover Teixeira (18-2, 1-0) meets fellow countryman Fabio Maldonado (18-5, 1-2) in the evening’s co-main event. And in a bout first reported by Brazilian outlet Tatame, former interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (33-7-1, 4-3) faces Dave Herman (21-4, 1-2).
“UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar” now features a six-fight main card that airs on pay-per-view. Preliminary-card bouts are expected to air on FX and stream on Facebook.
“We’re back on track,” UFC President Dana White told MMAjunkie.com. “Anderson Silva wasn’t scheduled to fight at all. I called him today, and he’s shooting a commercial in Brazil. Anderson Silva steps up, and Stephan Bonnar wants to fight him. The Teixeira vs. Maldonado fight comes together, and then Nogueira was standing right there with Anderson shooting the commercial with him, and he said he wanted to fight, too.
“This is old-school UFC. A card is in jeopardy, but guys that are world champions and superstars stepped up and jumped in and saved the card. This is why the fans love this sport and why we went on a 12-year run without canceling an event.”