Weidman vs. Silva rematch heads UFC 168 on Dec. 28, Rousey vs. Tate II co-main

UFC President Dana White promised the world that new UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman (10-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) and former kingpin Anderson Silva (33-5 MMA, 16-1 UFC) would meet again. Now it’s official.

The UFC boss today revealed on ESPN’s SportsCenter that both Weidman and Silva have agreed to meet on Dec. 28 in the headlining bout of a previously announced UFC 168 event, which takes place at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. The night’s main card, including the Weidman vs. Silva rematch, airs on pay-per-view. White further confirmed that bout agreements have already been signed.

White previously announced UFC 168 would see women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) face former Strikeforce title holder Miesha Tate (13-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in the evening’s main event. However, that fight between former Strikeforce champs and opposing “The Ultimate Fighter 18? coaches will instead serve as the co-main event of what starts out as a star-studded affair.

“I don’t know if there’s any more hype ever in UFC history after a fight,” White said. “Everybody has been wondering if there’s going to be a rematch. I’ve been working on it since Thursday. December 28 in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand, Anderson Silva will fight Chris Weidman, and the co-main event will be Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate.”

The announcement comes one week after this past Saturday night’s historic UFC 162 event in Las Vegas, where a confident Weidman upset the former champion. Weidman, of course, expressed his desire to face Silva a second time even before they stepped into the cage at UFC 162, knowing it would take a pair of victories over the pound-for-pound great. Meanwhile, the former champ at first suggested that he wasn’t immediately interested in a rematch, but White insisted that the Brazilian would reconsider his position and seek redemption against the undefeated Weidman.

He has.

“I back,” Silva said in a brief recorded statement. “Trust me. I back.”

For more on UFC 168, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Chris Weidman)