White: UFC 147, Silva vs. Sonnen II now slated for 80,000-seat stadium in Rio
The long-awaited rematch between middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen apparently now has a destination in Brazil.
While not officially set, UFC president Dana White today said he expects the fight to take place in Rio de Janeiro in a stadium that could accommodate 80,000 fans.
Initially, the pay-per-view event was expected to take place in Sao Paulo, though venue and local-ordinance issues recently popped up.
UFC 147 is expected to take place June 16 or June 23.
White didn't mention a specific stadium, but anything close to 80,000 attendees would shatter the current UFC and North American MMA attendance record, which Toronto's Rogers Centre set with UFC 129 (55,724) in 2011.
Sonnen (27-11-1 MMA, 6-4 UFC) dominated Silva (31-4 MMA, 14-0 UFC) for four rounds before succumbing to a last-round triangle choke at UFC 117 in 2010. Sonnen set up a rematch with a January win over Michael Bisping.
The rematch is likely to be one of the biggest fights in MMA history.
In addition to that title fight, "The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil" coaches Vitor Belfort (21-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC) and Wanderlei Silva (34-11-1 MMA, 4-6 UFC) are slated to fight at UFC 147. The "TUF: Brazil" tournament finals also are slated for the show.
