One of the most decorated UFC fighters of all time, Anderson Silva, is set to return to the Octagon when he faces Derek Brunson at UFC 208. UFC President Dana White announced the fight just moments ago.
Anderson "The Spider" Silva vs Derek Brunson #UFC208 in Brooklyn. pic.twitter.com/wvCVA9utTi
Dana White (@danawhite) January 13, 2017
And then poor Derek Bruson got mobbed by fans and media wanting to know exactly how he felt about the matchup.
And my inbox explodes
Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) January 13, 2017
Silva, who has been overseas shooting a movie for the last few months, is coming off a loss at UFC 200 when he stepped in on two days notice to fill in for Jon Jones who had failed a USADA test and had been pulled from the card. Fans viewed Silva as a hero, and despite losing the fight with Daniel Cormier (by decision) he was carried around the Octagon on his teammates shoulders for taking a champ to the distance with a day to prepare.
Silva has not recorded a win since 2012 when he defeated Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153. He won his bout at UFC 183 when he faced Nick Diaz in January 2015, but later tested positive for a banned substance and the fight was declared a no contest.
Prior to that, he lost his bout with now middleweight champion, Michael Bisping, after a bout which many felt he had won.
Brunson is also coming off a loss to Robert Whittaker at UFC Fight Night Melbourne. Prior to that loss he had been on a five fight win streak. Silva is currently ranked seventh in the division, with his opponent bringing up the rear at eight.
This match-up is somewhat puzzling as there are two rematch options for Silva that seem like bigger draws than Brunson. He could face Bisping, the middleweight champion or even Nick Diaz again since Diaz has been released from his suspension.
Who do you think will take home the win?
hardcorechampions
