Shogun Rua to face fellow countryman Thiago Silva at UFC 149

UFC President Dana White revealed Sunday that Silva will square off with former light heavyweight champion Mauricio Rua.

While White did not say when the bout will take place, MMAJunkie reports that the matchup has been targeted for UFC 149 on July 21 in Calgary, Alberta.

Rua, 30, last appeared at UFC 139, where he lost a five-round decision to Dan Henderson in a “Fight of the Year” candidate this past November. “Shogun” captured the 205-pound strap with a knockout victory against Lyoto Machida in May 2010 but lost the belt to Jon Jones in his next outing. The Curitiba, Brazil, native also owns victories over Mark Coleman, Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin during his Octagon tenure.

After more than a year absence from the cage, Silva had a rough return to action against Alexander Gustaffson on April 14, falling to the lanky Swede via unanimous decision at the UFC on Fuel TV 2 in Stockholm. Silva’s last UFC triumph came in August 2009, when he defeated Keith Jardine via first-round technical knockout.

UFC 149 takes place at Scotiabank Saddledome and marks the promotion’s first visit to Calgary. The event is expected to be headlined by the recently announced featherweight title tilt between reigning champion Jose Aldo and challenger Erik Koch.

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