UFC 162: Silva vs. Weidman Officially Announced for July 6 in Las Vegas

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is once again taking over Fourth of July weekend in Las Vegas. The organization formally announced today that UFCmiddleweight champion and undisputed pound-for-pound king Anderson Silva will return to the Octagon on Saturday, July 6 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena to face undefeated No. 1 contender Chris Weidman. That’s not all: this week in July also marks the return of the UFC Fan Expo, as well as Fight Week, a series of fan events, concerts, and appearances featuring your favorite UFC fighters and personalities.

“The best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Anderson Silva, defends the middleweight title for a record 11^th time on July 6 when he takes on unbeaten Chris Weidman,” UFC President Dana White said. “Weidman is 9-0 in his pro career and has incredible wrestling and power. He said he will shock the world at UFC 162 and end Anderson’s reign atop the middleweight division. With UFC 162, the UFC Fan Expo and Fight Week, this is going to be an amazing week for fight fans. You have to be in Las Vegas this Fourth of July weekend!”

In addition to the Silva-Weidman showdown, Frankie Edgar (15-4-1, fighting out of Toms River, N.J.), a former lightweight champion and currently the third-ranked featherweight in the world, battles Brazil’s Charles Oliveira (16-3, 1 NC, fighting out of Guaruja, Sao Paulo, Brazil), while former Strikeforce middleweights make their UFC debuts as Tim Kennedy (15-4, fighting out of Austin, Texas) takes on Rio de Janeiro’s Roger Gracie (6-1).

In addition, fourth-ranked “The Korean Zombie,” Chan Sung Jung (13-3, fighting out of Po-Hang, South Korea) returns from a yearlong layoff due to injury to meet second-ranked Ricardo Lamas (13-2, fighting out of Chicago, Ill.) in a fight that could determine the next challenger for the featherweight title, while fifth-ranked featherweight Cub Swanson (19-5, fighting out of Palm Springs, Calif.) faces Germany’s sixth-ranked Dennis Siver (21-8).

Other bouts for UFC 162 include:

• Seventh-ranked middleweight star Mark Munoz (12-3, fighting out of Lake Forrest, Calif.) vs. heavy-handed 10^th-ranked contender Tim Boetsch (12-3, fighting out of Sunbury, Pa.).
• 185-pound fan favorite Chris Leben (22-9, fighting out of Oahu, Hawaii) vs. Andrew Craig (8-1, fighting out of Houston, Texas).
• Northern Ireland’s Norman Parke (17-2) vs. Japan’s Kazuki Tokudome (12-3-1) in a lightweight showdown.
• Brazil’s Edson Barboza (11-1) challenges Montreal’s John Makdessi (11-2).
• Heavyweights Shane Del Rosario (8-1, fighting out of Irvine, Calif.) vs. Dave Herman (21-5, fighting out of Temecula, Calif.).
• Welterweights Seth Baczynski (17-7, fighting out of Apache Junction, Ariz.) vs. Houston’s Brian Melancon (6-2).
• Portland’s Mike Pierce (16-5) vs. David Mitchell (12-2, fighting out of Santa Rosa, Calif.) in a welterweight contest.

Tickets for UFC162: SILVA vs. WEIDMAN, presented by BUD LIGHT, go on sale Friday, May 10 at 10 a.m. PT.  Tickets will be available at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino). Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. Tickets also are available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices do not include applicable service charges.

UFC Fight Club members will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to this event Wednesday, May 8 at 10 a.m. PT via the website www.ufcfightclub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, May 9 starting at 10 a.m. PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter throughUFC.com.

UFC162: SILVA vs. WEIDMAN will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET on July 6.