PHONETOOL

The UFC returns to the birthplace of mixed martial arts, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday, Aug. 27, as one of the country’s most recognizable superstars defends his title against the division’s nearly unstoppable number one contender. Live from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba’s Anderson “The Spider” Silva puts the middleweight title on the line when he meets Japanese star Yushin Okami, the only man to hold a victory over Silva in the last five years.

“Anderson Silva is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world,” said UFC President Dana White. “He has won 14 straight and hasn’t lost since January 2006, when he lost a controversial fight against none other than Yushin Okami. Okami is the number two middleweight in the world and a powerhouse in that division. He is the winningest Japanese fighter in UFC history and also the only guy to have beaten the greatest fighter in the world in the last seven years. He wants to do it again, but this time, in Anderson’s home country and win the UFC middleweight title. If he does, he will be the first ever Japanese champion.”

An explosive co-main event features the rematch between former light heavyweight champions Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Forrest Griffin, while unbeaten Brazilian lightweight Edson Barboza looks for his ninth professional victory when he battles British bomber Ross Pearson. UFC’s first event in Brazil since 1998 will also feature a pivotal heavyweight collision pitting former champion and Brazilian legend Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira against the surging Brendan Schaub. In addition, Sao Paulo’s Luiz Cane collides with unbeaten Bulgarian Stanislav Nedkov in a surefire slugfest.