Jon Fitch And Erick Silva Agree To Fight At UFC 153

(Photo by Mark Nolan/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

A welterweight bout between former UFC welterweight title challenger Jon Fitch and Brazilian up-and-comer Erick Silva has been verbally agreed to for UFC 153 in Rio de Janiero Brazil.

The 170-pound contest was first reported by MMA journalist Ariel Helwani and was later confirmed by Silva’s manager, Wallid Ismail.

The Fitch vs. Silva bout will likely take place on the main card of the Oct. 13 event, which is set to be aired on pay-per-view in the United States and Canada.

Fitch (23-4-1, 1 NC) fights for the first time since Dec. 2011 when he was knocked out by fellow welterweight contender Johnny Hendricks in just 11-seconds. The loss brought an end to Fitch’s six-fight unbeaten streak and marked the first time he was finished in 16 UFC fights. The American Kickboxing Academy product was slated to fight Aaron Simpson at UFC on FUEL TV 4 on July 11, but a knee injury that required surgery forced him off the card. The welterweight division has shifted a lot since Fitch last competed, and he will look to reestablish his place in the pecking order with a win at UFC 153.

Silva (14-2) last entered the Octagon at UFC on FX 4 where he submitted Charlie Brenneman in the first round with a rear-naked choke. The 28-year-old is 2-1 under the UFC banner and gets a stern leap in competition against a top-10 opponent in Fitch. The Brazilian has received a lot of attention from UFC fans and is being pegged as a potential title challenger in the future. The fight against the always-tough Fitch will prove where he stands in the welterweight division.

UFC 153: Aldo vs. Koch is expected to take place at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Oct. 13. The main event of the evening will see Jose Aldo make his third featherweight title defence against Erik Koch.

Along with the Aldo vs. Koch headliner, a light heavyweight contest between Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Glover Teixeira has been confirmed for the event.

To get the latest on UFC 153, click here. For up-to-date versions of all upcoming fight cards, head over to the rumors section.

Mike Bohn, founder and lead writer of FightCove.com, wrote this article. You can follow Mike on Twitter at @FightCoveMike. Also, follow @FightCove on Twitter and “Like” Fight Cove on Facebook.