Dana White confirms Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami coming to UFC Rio in August

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Anderson Silva and Yushin Okami will indeed meet for the second time at UFC Rio this August.

UFC President Dana White confirmed the Middleweight Championship bout in comments made to USAToday.com, and it is expected to headline the UFC Rio event on August 27 from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the UFC's first trip to the country of Brazil since 1998.

Okami technically holds the last victory any opponent has had against Silva, a disqualification win in their bout at a Rumble on the Rock event in 2006 prior to Silva's UFC debut. Since that fight, Silva has gone on one of the most dominant runs ever seen in the sport with 14 straight wins, 13 of which have come inside the Octagon.

The 29-year-old Okami has seen his fair share of success since that 2006 fight. Going 12-3 in 15 fights since then, a stretch that includes a 10-2 mark in the UFC, Okami finally earned a title shot last November with a win over Nate Marquardt, and the UFC will honor that number one contender fight despite the discussions of a St. Pierre-Silva superfight.

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Penick's Analysis: This is going to be a great middleweight fight, and it really is the final truly deserving opponent that Silva hasn't faced in this division. It's a very easy fight to sell, as Silva will look to avenge the last "loss" on his record, and Okami has earned his shot. This is going to be a good title fight, and it's one that Okami deserves. And having Silva headline the UFC's return to Brazil is the right move.

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