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Ladies and gentleman, we have a rematch.
UFC President Dana White confirmed yesterday, Saturday, on ESPN’s SportsCenter that UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman and former title holder Anderson Silva will have a rematch of their UFC 162 fight.
“UFC 168: Silva vs. Weidman II” will take place on Dec. 28 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, White said.
“I don’t know that there’s been more hype in UFC history after a fight,” he said. “Everybody’s been wondering if there’s going to be a rematch. I’ve been working on it since Thursday.
“Both guys signed their bout agreements. Anderson Silva is fired up, motivated and wants his belt back.”
Silva lost the title, as well as his first fight in the Octagon, in the July 6 bout against Weidman. Before and after the fight, Silva declared that he didn’t want a rematch, admitting that he was tired from the years of having the title and defending his winning streak.
Now, however, Silva appears motivated and ready to contend for the belt that he owned for almost seven years.
“I back. Trust me, I back,” Silva told ESPN.
With the addition of what is considered to be one of the biggest rematches in UFC history, UFC 168’s former main event, Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate, will slide to the co-main event spot.
Rousey, the UFC women’s bantamweight champion, will face Tate for a second time. The first encounter between the two took place when the fighters were part of the Strikeforce promotion. In the fight, Rousey finished Tate with a first-round armbar – the only way Rousey has finished all of her fights.