Despite Chael Sonnen denying his involvement in a rematch with Anderson Silva, UFC president Dana White has assured the bout is still on.
The UFC announced earlier this week that Sonnen and Silva are scheduled to meet at UFC 147 in Brazil for the UFC middleweight title. However, Sonnen was quick to dismiss that he has not agreed to sign, nor has the title bout been made official.
But White shot down the notion that Sonnen hasn’t signed and confirmed he is still expected to face Silva later this summer.
“The fight is happening,” White told MMAWeekly.com. “He has accepted the fight, and he will be with me in Brazil for the press conference down there.”
The Oregon native’s words have drawn quite a bit of skepticism surrounding the credibility of the matchup, considering he has been provoking the champion for a rematch since their first bout at UFC 117 in 2010. Sonnen was just moments away from upsetting Silva, in a match that saw him dominate the Brazilian from the opening bell, before getting caught in a triangle choke and being forced to tap.
UFC 147, which will take place at the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro, is expected to approximately hold 80,000 people.
Once the UFC is able to organize and finalize the entire card, White said he expects their second trip to Brazil to be one of the biggest events in UFC history.
“I think this is one of the biggest sporting events of the year,” he said. “To take NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, Formula-1, soccer, everything, this is one of the biggest sporting events of the year.”
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