Anderson Silva-Chael Sonnen Rematch Confirmed for UFC 147 in Rio de Janeiro

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Long rumored, highly anticipated and often denied -- by Chael Sonnen, at least -- the rematch between the outspoken Team Quest product and UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is finally official.

On Monday, promotion officials announced that the matchup will take place at UFC 147 at Joao Havelange Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on June 23. Expected to fill the co-main event slot is a middleweight clash between “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” coaches Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva.

Also known as “Engenhao,” Joao Havelange Stadium is home to the soccer team Botafogo and will host many of the athletics competitions for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Originally constructed for the 2007 Pan American Games, the stadium holds approximately 45,000 fans for soccer matches, but the capacity figures to increase when the field is included for seating at UFC 147.

UFC 129 set the all-time attendance mark last April, when 55,000 fans packed the Rogers Centre in Toronto to witness Georges St. Pierre defend his welterweight crown against Jake Shields. UFC President Dana White believes that June 23 will be even bigger.

“This will be the biggest sporting event of the year,” White said in a release. “Bigger than the NFL, the NBA, you name it -- UFC 147 will be the biggest. The whole world wants to see this fight between Silva and Sonnen. We are broadcast in over 150 countries in 22 languages in half a billion homes. Wherever those fans are, they are going to be watching this fight.”

Sonnen controlled the majority of his UFC 117 encounter with Silva, only to succumb to a triangle armbar from “The Spider” with less than two minutes remaining in the contest. Since returning from a six-month California State Athletic Commission-mandated suspension for having elevated levels of testosterone, Sonnen has posted back-to-back victories against Brian Stann and Michael Bisping. Although the Oregon native has openly campaigned for a rematch with Silva, he has also said on multiple occasions that he didn’t expect the fight to happen.

Silva was last seen at UFC 134, where he defended his belt with a second-round TKO of Yushin Okami in Rio de Janeiro. Since then the Brazilian has been sidelined, recovering from injuries to his shoulder and lower back. Unbeaten since 2006, the 36-year-old champion has won 15 fights in a row.

The clash between Belfort and Wanderlei Silva is a rematch of a 1998 showdown in which “The Phenom” earned a 44-second technical knockout victory in Sao Paulo. Both men were victorious in their last outing, as Belfort defeated Johnson at UFC 142, while “The Axe Murderer stopped Cung Le at UFC 139.