The UFC today officially announced a headline bout of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez for UFC 108 in January.
Velasquez is 7-0 overall and 5-0 in the Octagon, while Nogueira is coming off one of the best fights of the year, defeating Randy Couture by unanimous decision at UFC 102.
“Nogueira vs. Velasquez is a great matchup between the present and the future of the heavyweight division,” said UFC President Dana White. “Nogueira showed in the Couture fight that he still has plenty left to offer at the top level of the game, and Velasquez was devastating in his win over Ben Rothwell, so with both guys in top form, we’re definitely going to see a number one contender emerge from this fight to take on the winner of the Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin title fight.”
Also announced is a light heavyweight fight between former champion Rashad Evans and Brazilian striker Thiago Silva. Evans, currently a coach on this season’s The Ultimate Fighter, hasn’t fought for the organization since losing to Loyto Machida in May.
“Thiago’s a hard puncher and a very good fighter, and I respect him,” said Evans. “But I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want to get a little payback for Keith on January 2nd.”
Silva knocked out Evans’ friend and training partner Keith Jardine at UFC 102 in August. It was his fifth victory in the Octagon, with his only defeat coming at the hands of current champion Lyoto Machida.
Tickets for UFC 108 go on sale Saturday, November 14th, and can be purchased through Ticketmaster or www.ufc.com.
UFC 108 takes place on January 2nd from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will be broadcast live on pay-per-view.
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