UFC 153 took a complete nosedive yesterday when UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo withdrew with a foot injury and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson withdrew with a shoulder injury (h/t MMAJunkie.com).
That leaves both the main event, initially set to be title clash between Aldo and Frankie Edgar, and the co-main event, initially Glover Teixeira vs. Jackson, in jeopardy.
However, a recent report coming from the folks at Fighters Only indicates that a new main event may be in the works: a grudge match between Chael Sonnen and “The Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva.
The MMA news site reports that the fight is under consideration for a 195-pound catchweight, and in an interview with Portal do Vale Tudo, Silva expressed his excitement for the fight (translation via Fighters Only):
I accept to fight any one and with him it would be tasteful. It would be a bout that people would like to see. I wasn’t offered it yet, but if the boss needs me and I can contribute to make the fans happy, I would feel so glad.
Silva also describes Sonnen as a “guy who everybody wants [him] to face” and notes that he is “not in a competition training schedule but [he is] training, on-weight and feeling good.”
Sonnen has always found time to toss insults Wanderlei‘s way, even when UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva was his arch nemesis.
Never one to back down, Wanderlei Silva has never hesitated to spit some verbal venom of his own at “The American Gangster.”
Keep in mind that this bout is only being considered as of early Wednesday evening and has not been offered to either fighter yet.
With that being said, is Sonnen vs. Wanderlei Silva the fight to save UFC 153? Either way, the event goes down on Oct. 13 in Rio de Janeiro, at the HSBC Arena.
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