Anderson Silva returns to face Derek Brunson at UFC 208 in Brooklyn
Anderson Silva will make his return to action on short notice when he faces Derek Brunson in a middleweight bout just added to UFC 208 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
UFC officials announced the new matchup on Friday.
https://twitter.com/ufc/status/820055596837675008
Silva has never been the kind of fighter to shy away from a challenge, and with UFC 208 in need of another big fight, the former middleweight champion stepped up to the plate.
This fight will give Silva a lot more time to prepare than his last trip to the Octagon, when he faced light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier at UFC 200 — a bout he accepted on just two days' notice after Jon Jones was pulled from the card when he failed a drug test.
Silva ultimately lost a unanimous decision, which unfortunately dropped his record to 0-4 with one no contest over his past five bouts.
Now the legendary former champion will look to get back on track while facing a top-10 middleweight with serious finishing power.
Brunson has gone 7-2 since joining the UFC roster with four knockouts over his past five wins in the promotion. Though Brunson is coming off a setback with a loss to Robert Whittaker in a "Fight of the Night" effort in Australia this past November.
Now the heavy-handed former college wrestler will attempt to get back into the win column — while looking to add a future Hall of Famer like Silva to his resume.
Silva vs. Brunson is the latest addition to the UFC 208 card on Feb. 11, which is headlined by the first-ever women's featherweight title fight between Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie.
