UFC 147: Silva vs. Sonnen II Headed to Engenhao Stadium on June 23

UFC 147 is officially headed to Brazil with one of the biggest rematches in the promotion’s history leading the card.

In a release on Monday, the UFC announced that it will be staging UFC 147 at Rio’s Engenhao stadium with Anderson Silva facing Chael Sonnen in the main event on June 23.

The fight and card have been rumored for months, but this officially seals the deal with the date and stadium being confirmed.

The Engenhao stadium plays home to the Botafogo football club in Brazil, and should pack in nearly 60,000 fans for the June event.

UFC president Dana White originally speculated an event at a soccer stadium with capacity near 80,000, but Engenhao was the final landing spot with a slightly smaller crowd for the live show.

There’s no doubt, however, that the Brazilian fans will pack the soccer stadium to the brim with anticipation of home country hero Anderson Silva returning to his roots and facing rival and top middleweight contender Chael Sonnen.

The expected co-main event for the June 23 card will feature Ultimate Fighter Brasil coaches Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva square off for a second time.

In their original meeting in 1998, Belfort blitzed Silva in the first round to win by knockout at UFC 17.5, which was also held in Brazil, coincidentally.

Tickets for the June 23 event will go on sale in May.

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