SAN JOSE, CA – MAY 19: Rafael Cavalcante (left) has agreed to fight Thiago Silva at UFC 162 in July. (Photo by Esther Lin/Forza LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante will likely make his UFC debut against Thiago Silva at UFC 162, according to reports on Wednesday.
Feijao confirmed to Tatame.com that he signed the fight agreement to compete in the Octagon on July 6 in Las Vegas.
“For my part, it’s all right,” Cavalcante told the website. “I signed the contract the next day.”
Silva (14-3, 2 N.C.) is coming back from a suspension stemming from a positive test for marijuana metabolites after his UFC on Fuel TV fight last November against Stanislav Nedkov. The suspension from competition was his second, the first coming after a his UFC 125 post-fight test showed his urine sample being inconsistent with human urine.
The combination of recent suspensions and losses has stretched Silva’s winless streak to nearly four years. The last time he successfully won a fight with no issue was in August 2009, a knockout of Keith Jardine at UFC 102.
Cavalcante (11-3, 1 N.C.) is also coming back from suspension. In his last outing, Feijao submitted Mike Kyle at “Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Cormier” in May of last year. A positive test for the anabolic steroid, stanozolol, prompted the California State Athletic Commission, the governing body overseeing drug testing for the card, to suspend Feijao for one year from the date of the fight.
Come July, both fighters’ suspensions will be completed.
In addition to the light heavyweight bout, a middleweight bout between Mark Munoz and Tim Boetsch will be featured on the UFC 162 card, according to a report from MMAFighting.com.
Munoz (12-3) is returning from injuries to his foot and elbow. He last fought in July 2012, a loss to Chris Weidman at UFC on Fuel TV.
Boetsch (16-5) is coming off a TKO-loss to Costa Philippou at UFC 155 in December of last year. “The Barbarian” is 4-1 in his last five fights.
UFC 162 is headlined by UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva defending his title against the No. 1 contender, Weidman.
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