Robert Drysdale signs with UFC, meets Ednaldo Oliveira at UFC 163

Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Robert Drysdale (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has signed with the UFC and will meet fellow light heavyweight Ednaldo Oliveira (13-1-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at UFC 163.

UFC officials confirmed the fight by retweeting an initial report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

UFC 163 takes place Aug. 3 at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and Facebook.

Drysdale vs. Oliveira likely will be part of the prelims.

Drysdale, a world champion grappler who was born in the U.S. but spent much of his childhood in Brazil, made his official MMA debut in 2010. Recently, the black belt has competed for Legacy FC in Texas. All of six of his pro wins have come via first-round submission, including an April victory over Bellator vet D.J. Linderman.

Oliveira returns to action for the first time since UFC 142 in early 2012, when he suffered a submission loss to heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga in his promotional debut. Prior to that, the Brazilian striker had posted eight knockouts in an undefeated start to his career. Recently injuries have slowed his return to the cage.

The latest UFC 163 card now includes:

• Champ Jose Aldo vs. Anthony Pettis – for featherweight title
• Phil Davis vs. Lyoto Machida
• Josh Koscheck vs. Demian Maia
• Thales Leites vs. Tom Watson
• Vinny Magalhaes vs. Anthony Perosh
• Cezar Ferreira vs. Clint Hester
• Robert Drysdale vs. Ednaldo Oliveira
• Neil Magny vs. Sergio Moraes

For more on UFC 163, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Robert Drysdale)