UFC officials have confirmed earlier reports of former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva stepping in on short notice to face reigning light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier at UFC 200 on Saturday.

This comes just one day removed from chocking revelation that Cormier’s original opponent, Jon Jones, had been pulled from the card after being flagged for a potential anti-doping violation. While Cormier was cheduled to compete agaisnt Jones in the night’s main event, he will now meet Silva in a three-round bout in the night’s co-main event.

Silva (34-7) was last seen dropping a unanimous decision to Michael Bisping at UFC Fight Night 84 in February. This setback, marked the Brazilian’s first appearance inside the Octagon since his decision win over Nick Diaz at UFC 183 in January 2015.

Silva currently holds several UFC records including the longest win streak in UFC history (16), which included a UFC title reign that lasted a company record six years, eight months and 22 days. To date,  all but two of Silva’s wins have come by way TKO, KO or submission.

Cormier (16-1), the 2008 U.S. Olympic wrestling captain, was last seen defending his 205-pound title with a hard fought decision over Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 191 in October.

This fight is expected to be a non-title fight.

UFC 200 will take place at Las Vegas’s new T-Mobile Arena on July 9. The event will be the culmination of the UFC’s 2016 International Fight Week. A heavyweight fight between former champion Brock Lesnar and Mark Hunt will serve as the main event.

Here is how the rest of the card is lined up:

Main Card – PPV

Prelim Card – Fox Sports 1

Prelim Card – UFC Fight Pass

  • Gegard Mousasi vs. Thiago Santos
  • Joe Lauzon vs. Diego Sanchez
  • Takanori Gomi vs. Jim Miller

About The Author

News Manager

José began his career as a mixed martial arts journalist while still enrolled at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University. Since graduating in May 2013, he has attended dozens of high profile UFC fight cards as a credentialed member of the media, providing live cage side coverage through his articles and videos. His work has appeared on UFC.com, ArizonaSports.com and AZCentral. He is also currently one of the main contributors on Power MMA Show at Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, one of the first all MMA radio shows on a major radio station.