Headlining the event will be a middleweight championship bout between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.  Silva is coming off his sixth title defense, against Demian Maia at UFC 112, and eleventh consecutive victory in the Octagon.  He will take on Oregon-native Sonnen who has racked up wins against Dan Miller, Yushin Okami, and Nate Marquardt.

“When we offered Chael Sonnen this shot at the title, he promised us one thing: that he was going to make this a fight,” said UFC President Dana White. “I know he means it, and after beating three legit contenders he’s definitely going to bring the best out of Anderson Silva on August 7th. And as far as Anderson is concerned, he wants to remind everybody why he’s considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.”

Set for the co-main event is the previously reported welterweight matchup between former champion Matt Hughes and Ricard Almeida.  Hughes defeated Renzo Gracie in his last appearance at UFC 112.  Almeida, a long-time student of Gracie’s, has reeled-off three consecutive victories in the Octagon over Matt Horwich, Kendall Grove, and Matt Brown.

As well, a lightweight bout between Clay Guida and Rafael Dos Anjos is slated for the event.

UFC 117 will be the organization’s first-ever trip to Oakland.  The event will be broadcast on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET.

Hughes was officially inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame Friday night during the UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas.

“When we look back at the history books, Matt Hughes will go down as one of the best 170-pounders of all time,” UFC President Dana White said. “This is one of the guys who helped build this organization. Matt’s credentials as a mixed martial artist speak for themselves and we’re proud that he now has a well-deserved spot in the UFC Hall of Fame.”

The 36 year-old Illinois-native began his career in the UFC in 1999 and has fought a total of 22 times for the organization.  He captured the welterweight title in 2001 by defeating Carlos Newton and went on to defend the belt five times.

Hughes joins Dan Severn, Charles “Mask” Lewis, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Ken Shamrock, Mark Coleman, and Royce Gracie as the only members of the UFC Hall of Fame.

He is next scheduled to face Ricardo Almeida at UFC 117 in August.

Hughes confirmed the matchup in a post to his official website.

“…I’ve done my paperwork to fight Ricardo Almeida on August 7th, in Oakland, CA.,” Hughes posted.  “A lot of you know my history with the UFC, I’ve never turned down a fight and this is who they asked me to fight next.”

Hughes (45-7) is coming off a a third round TKO of Renzo Gracie at UFC 112. 

Almeida (12-3), a long-time student of Gracie’s, has reeled-off three consecutive victories in the Octagon over Matt Horwich, Kendall Grove, and Matt Brown.

UFC 117 is set to take place on August 7 in Oakland, California.

Hughes confirmed the matchup on his official website, but stated that paperwork for the fight has yet to be signed.  Hughes’ only bout in 2009 came in May at UFC 98 where he defeated Matt Serra by unanimous decision.

Gracie, who has signed a multi-fight contract with the UFC, also stated via his management company that he will indeed fight Hughes in the coming months.  It will be Gracie’s first-ever fight in the UFC and his first fight since defeating Frank Shamrock by disqualification (knees to the head of a downed opponent) in February 2007 at EliteXC “Destiny.”

BumpyKnuckle.com spoke with a source close to Gracie who confirmed that, though Gracie will indeed be fighting in the UFC, his first opponent will not be Matt Hughes. The matchup has not been ruled out completely, but won’t happen when Gracie makes his UFC debut.

Gracie (13-6-1) has never fought for the UFC organization, and hasn’t fought professionally since defeating Frank Shamrock by disqualification (knees to the head of a downed opponent) in February of 2007 at EliteXC “Destiny.” He runs the Renzo Gracie Academy in Midtown Manhattan and has trained notable fighters such as Matt Serra, Georges St. Pierre, and Ricardo Almeida.

Hughes has only fought once in 2009, defeating Matt Serra in May at UFC 98 by unanimous decision. He has been previously rumored to face Mike Swick or Josh Koscheck, but still remains without a clear opponent.

Heavy.com has reported that the matchup is likely, thought official bout agreements have yet to be signed.

Hughes has been previously rumored to fight Mike Swick and Josh Koscheck, with Gracie being the latest  to reportedly take on the future UFC Hall of Famer.

Gracie has never fought in the Octagon, despite training numerous UFC fighters including Hughes nemesis Matt Serra.  The 42-year old is a fifth-degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and holds notable victories over Pat Miletich and Carlos Newton.  He has not fought since 2007, defeating Frank Shamrock by disqualification (kness to head of grounded opponent) at EliteXC “Destiny.”

UFC 109 is rumored to take place on February 6, 2010 in Las Vegas.

In a post made to Swick’s twitter page this past weekend, the welterweight contender proclaimed his interest in who he’d like to fight next.

“Not knowing who or when I am fighting next is killing me. Everyone has fights booked except Hughes. Lets do it!,” Swick posted.

After pulling out of a fight scheduled for UFC 103 against Martin Kampmann due to injury, there has been plenty of speculation on who Swick will matchup against next.

A fight with legend Matt Hughes seems to be at the forefront of Swick’s mind and could be an interesting matchup for both parties.

As we previously reported, Hughes recently signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC, and stated that the UFC had mentioned a few names as potential matchups, one of which “is a person I’ve never fought before,” as Hughes stated on his website.

There has been no confirmation from either side on this matchup, so for now this fight remains just a rumor.  Stay tuned.

Hughes relayed the news via his website www.matt-hughes.com, but didn’t elaborate on the deal.

“Last week I went out to Vegas and I signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC, which is much like my last contract,” Hughes posted.  “They still have to find out who, where and when my next fight will be and I will try to post that info ASAP.”

Hughes last fought and defeated nemesis Matt Serra at UFC 98 in May, and many fans have called for a rematch.  However, Hughes mentioned that his next matchup may be a brand new opponent.

“Nothing is decided yet, so anything you might be reading on the internet right now is just rumors and speculation. However, one name the UFC did bring up is a person I’ve never fought before.”

Hughes is a former 9-time UFC welterweight champion and is 43-7 in his professional mixed martial arts career.