Jon Fitch vs. Erick Silva Likely For UFC 153 In Rio

A welterweight tilt between former title contender Jon Fitch (23-4-1, 1 NC) and fast-rising star Erick Silva (14-2, 1 NC) appears to be on tap for October's UFC 153 card. 


Silva's manger, Wallid Ismail, announced the bout via Twitter late Monday, however, promotion officials have yet to officially confirm the booking.


UFC 153 takes place on October 13 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and is headlined by a featherweight title clash between reigning champion Jose Aldo and fellow WEC vet Erik Koch. Additional bouts on the fall card include Vitor Belfort vs. Alan Belcher and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Glover Teixeira.


Fitch will look to bounce back from his first defeat in two years after suffering a vicious 12-second knockout at the hands of Johny Hendricks last December. Prior to the loss, the American Kickboxing Academy representative went 5-0-1 in six outings, including victories over Mike Pierce, Ben Saunders and Thiago Alves.


Silva, meanwhile, will look to build off a recent submission victory over Charlie Brenneman at June's UFC on FX 3 card. The win marked his second inside the Octagon, having also scored a 40-second knockout of Luis Ramos at last summer's UFC 134. 


(Pictured: Jon Fitch)