LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 09: (R-L) Anderson Silva of Brazil elbows Daniel Cormier in their light heavyweight bout during the UFC 200 event on July 9, 2016 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Harry How/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Anderson Silva will make his return to action on short notice when he faces Derek Brunson in a middleweight bout just added to UFC 208 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
UFC officials announced the new matchup on Friday.
Silva has never been the kind of fighter to shy away from a challenge, and with UFC 208 in need of another big fight, the former middleweight champion stepped up to the plate.
This fight will give Silva a lot more time to prepare than his last trip to the Octagon, when he faced light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier at UFC 200 -- a bout he accepted on just two days' notice after Jon Jones was pulled from the card when he failed a drug test.
Silva ultimately lost a unanimous decision, which unfortunately dropped his record to 0-4 with one no contest over his past five bouts.
Now the legendary former champion will look to get back on track while facing a top-10 middleweight with serious finishing power.
Brunson has gone 7-2 since joining the UFC roster with four knockouts over his past five wins in the promotion. Though Brunson is coming off a setback with a loss to Robert Whittaker in a "Fight of the Night" effort in Australia this past November.
Now the heavy-handed former college wrestler will attempt to get back into the win column -- while looking to add a future Hall of Famer like Silva to his resume.
Silva vs. Brunson is the latest addition to the UFC 208 card on Feb. 11, which is headlined by the first-ever women's featherweight title fight between Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie.
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