Japanese superstar and UFC and PRIDE veteran Yoshihiro Akiyama today revealed his next opponent in the Octagon: he’ll face mixed martial arts legend Wanderlei Silva.
While Akiyama did not indicate when the bout would take place, sources close to the UFC have confirmed with Heavy.com that the bout is currently planned to serve as the co-main event for UFC 111 in Sydney, Australia.
UFC 111 will mark the first time the UFC has visited Australia. It will take place in late February.
Akiyama debuted in the UFC in July at UFC 100 with a razor-thin split decision victory over Alan Belcher. Akiyama has been undefeated since 2005.
The Akiyama bout will serve as Silva’s debut in the middleweight division. Silva is on the smaller side of the UFC’s light heavyweight division, and decided to drop to middleweight in an effort to revive his career after going 1-2 at light heavyweight.