UFC 147 Still in Brazil; Belfort vs. Silva 2 Headlines

After several twists and turns, UFC 147 has finally nailed down a headliner, date, and location.

UFC 147: Belfort vs. Silva will take play on June 23 at the “Mineirinho” Arena in Belo Horizonte, Brazil in the state of Minas Gerais. (The arena’s official name is Estádio Jornalista Felipe Drumond.) TUF Brasil head coaches Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva will square off in the main event.

This marks the first time the UFC has stepped outside of Rio de Janeiro for an event since it returned to Brazil last year. UFC 134 and UFC 142 were both held at the HSBC Arena in Rio.

The Mineirinho is the biggest indoor sports arena in Brazil with a capacity of around 25,000.

“It is great for our fans and for the UFC to be able to stage events in new parts of Brazil. The UFC is exploding everywhere in the country and Minas Gerais, being the third biggest state in the country, seemed like the perfect place for this,” said the UFC’s managing director of international development, Marshall Zelaznik.

UFC 147 was originally slated to feature the rematch between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and challenger Chael Sonnen in a huge soccer stadium in Rio, but the United Nations decision to hold the Rio+20 conference in the city during the same week made the logistics nearly impossible.

The decision was made to move Silva vs. Sonnen II to UFC 148 in Las Vegas. So now, Belfort vs. Silva II will headline the card in Belo Horizonte. The two met 14 years ago at Ultimate Brazil, where Belfort knocked Silva out in 44 seconds.

The event will also crown the winners of both weight divisions featured on TUF: Brasil, with two UFC contracts on the line.

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