On Oct. 13 the UFC will pay another visit to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The event, UFC 153, will be headlined by a bout that will see featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, put his title on the line against Erik Koch. Today it was reported that an intriguing welterweight bout would be added to the fight card as Jon Fitch will face Erick Silva from HSBC Arena.
MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani was the first to report on the fight, tweeting:
Just about to board my flight to LA but I can confirm that @jonfitchdotnet and @ericksilvamma have verbally agreed to meet at UFC 153.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 31, 2012
Fitch (23-4-1-1) is coming off a devastating loss to Johny Hendricks at UFC 141.
The fight ended quickly, with Hendricks landing a big left hand that put Fitch on his back and brought Steve Mazzagatti scurrying in to end the fight just 12 seconds into the first round. The one-punch knockout ended Fitch’s six-fight winning streak, dropping him down the divisional rankings while at the same time sending Hendricks’ stock skyward.
Fitch had been set to make his return to the Octagon on the July 11 UFC on Fuel TV card against Aaron Simpson, but a knee injury knocked Fitch from that event.
Silva (14-2-0-1) has been impressive since joining the UFC in August of last year.
He has fought three times for the promotion and has not yet had to extend himself beyond the first round. His first bout ended in 40 seconds, as he earned a knockout victory over Luis Ramos at UFC 134.
His next bout, against Carlo Prater, ended at the 29-second mark of the first round. The fight was mired in controversy, as referee Mario Yamasaki ruled that Silva’s strikes landed to the back of Prater’s head and disqualified Silva. The UFC awarded Silva his win bonus for the fight, an indication that perhaps it disagreed with Yamasaki’s ruling.
In his third bout, Silva stopped Charlie Brenneman at the 4:33 mark of Round 1, taking the fight via tap out to a rear naked choke.
This fight will be a big test for both Fitch and Silva. Fitch will look to prove that he rates as a top contender in the division, while Silva will attempt to continue his climb up the welterweight rankings.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com