OAKLAND CA - AUGUST 06: (L-R) UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva refuses to face off with opponent Chael Sonnen at the UFC 117 weigh-in at Oracle Arena on August 6 2010 in Oakland California. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
A rematch nearly two years in the making.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight number one contender Chael Sonnen, who was just a few short minutes away from defeating Anderson Silva at UFC 117 back in August 2010, will have a chance to exorcize his submission demons in a championship rematch against "The Spider" later this year.
That's according to UFC President Dana White on the UFC on Fox 2 post-fight show, who confirmed that Silva vs. Sonnen II was "set" for June 2012 in Brazil, most likely headlining a pay-per-view event in Sao Paulo.
Sonnen co-headlined the Jan. 28 event opposite Michael Bisping, narrowly squeaking past "The Count" via unanimous decision. That, coupled with his submission win over Brian Stann at UFC 136, was enough to put him back into a main event title fight across from his Brazilian nemesis.
And beating the brakes off Silva for four-and-a-half rounds in their first encounter may have helped expedite the process.
Silva is currently on the sidelines rehabbing multiple injuries and has yet to comment on his return to the fight game; however, White insists he's a lock for this June in the wake of Sonnen's victory over Bisping.
Regardless, it looks as though this could be the final run for Silva as the top dog in combat sports. If he manages to get past Sonnen in June, few challenges remain inside the anemic 185-pound division.
Until then, expect a lengthy trash-talking campaign from you-know-who.
You ready?
More on the UFC on Fox 2 fallout here.


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