The UFC is targeting UFC 121 for Oct. 23 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, and it’s got a big main event: Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez.
UFC President Dana White confirmed the news with MMAFighting.com on Friday night. Lesnar, who said he wanted to take some time off for farming duties before returning to the Octagon, verbally agreed to the contract on Friday morning. He’ll defend his heavyweight belt against Velasquez, the undefeated workhorse who stopped Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria in the first round at UFC 109 earlier this year.
The UFC last visited California for UFC 104 in October 2009, where Lyoto Machida barely held on to his light heavyweight championship belt over Shogun Rua in the main event of the Los Angeles attraction. Rua would finish Machida decisively in the rematch.
“UFC 120: Bisping vs. Akiyama” takes place the week prior to UFC 121 in London and will be televised via tape-delay on Spike TV.