UFC Hall of Famer Anderson Silva will face former MMA rival Chael Sonnen in a boxing ring in June.
The Spaten Fight Night promotion announced the match on Sunday night. It is expected to take place on June 15th in São Paolo, Brazil.
Earlier this weekend, Silva teased that his opponent would be his friend, actor Terry Crews, with the two exchanging messages on social media. Crews and Silva worked together on Netflix’s ‘Ultimate Beastmaster’.
Later, Silva’s real opponent for the bout in his home country, entitled ‘Spider’s Grand Finale’, was revealed.
Silva, who turned 49 on April 14th, retired from MMA in 2020, but went on to continue fighting in the boxing ring.
He bagged wins over Julio César Chávez and Tito Ortiz before losing to Jake Paul in October 2022. He also took part in a non-scored exhibition match with Bruno Machado in May 2022.
Sonnen retired from MMA in 2019. The 47-year-old has never boxed professionally. He confirmed his participation via social media, stating, “Oh Anderson, yoo-hoo. It’s me again. See you June 15.”
Anderson, I’ll see you June 15th…#Advertisement @spiderandersonsilva @spaten_br #BebaComModeração #SpatenFightNight #UltimaLutaSpider #EstiloForteSpaten pic.twitter.com/PUZ1AGAm3Z
— Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) May 20, 2024
Sonnen and Silva were involved in one of the best-remembered fights in UFC history. Silva had reached a record 16 consecutive wins at middleweight when he went up against Sonnen at UFC 117 in 2010. Underdog Sonnen dominated the fight for almost its entirety before Silva managed to save himself with a late triangle choke.
POST Wrestling’s John Pollock memorialised that match on its tenth anniversary in an audio documentary.
The two met again two years later when Silva won in more empathic fashion with a second-round knockout.
The rule set and format of the June 15th match have not yet been announced.
