After participating in a multi-million dollar ad campaign on Brazilian television featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme and five other Brazilian martial arts legends, Anderson Silva’s retirement bout will be against an old rival become.
Silva will face former Ultimate Fighting Championship foil Chel Sonnen in a bout contested under boxing rules. Sherdog confirmed the pairing on Wednesday following his initial report.
Tatame Magazine. Details of the fight are unknown, but the event is expected to be titled “Spaten Fight Night.”
Rumors of the fight, which is part of Spatenbier’s marketing campaign, began to spread after Silva posted on his Instagram Story, “Spider Grand Finale June 15th.” According to officials, the match will be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This will be a closed event with only 600 VIP guests able to attend. Other matches on this card will be announced in the coming days.
Silva and Sonnen first met at UFC 117, where Sonnen was on the verge of pulling off a huge upset with just a few minutes remaining, but “The Spider” won by submission at 3:10 of round five. This fight will be etched into the UFC Hall of Fame. “This summer is Fight Wing”. Silva was more decisive in the rematch, winning by TKO in the second round at UFC 148.
Spaten is one of 30 beers produced in Brazil by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest beer company. This is the first time a major Brazilian beer company has associated its name with mixed martial arts or other combat sports. The name of the campaign is “Strength is not the only thing that makes a fierce person.” The ad was shot in the Czech Republic and, in addition to Van Damme, features Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion Kayla Gracie, Olympic judo athlete Rafaela Silva, boxing champion Bea Ferreira, and Olympic judo bronze medalist. Flavio Canto also appeared.
Editor’s note: This item was updated at approximately 8:28 p.m. ET to include additional information about Silva’s opponent.
