Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar Now Headlines UFC 153; Maldonado Steps In Against Teixeira

Anderson Silva (32-4) will return to the Octagon sooner than expected as he meets Stephan Bonnar (14-7) in a light heavyweight tilt next month, serving as the new main event for UFC 153.

USA Today first reported the bout late Wednesday.

UFC 153 takes place on October 13 at the HSBC Arena in Brazil and is headlined by a light heavyweight scrap between Silva and Bonnar. In the co-main event, fellow Brazilian sluggers go to battle as Fabio Maldonado (18-5) steps up to take on Glover Teixeira (18-2). 

The event was slated to be headlined by a featherweight title showdown between reigning champ Jose Aldo and ex-lightweight titleholder Frankie Edgar, however, the bout was scrapped after the champ was involved in a motorcycle accident. Teixeira, meanwhile, was scheduled to lock horns with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, though the former champ too got injured.

The bout will mark Silva's third appearance at 205-pounds, having previously knocked out James Irvin and Forrest Griffin in his last pair of efforts at light heavyweight. The reigning middleweight champ remains unbeaten since joining the UFC in 2006, having bested his last 16 opponents.

Bonnar, meanwhile, is currently riding a three-fight win streak, including victories over Krzysztof Soszynski, Igor Pokrajac and most recently, Kyle Kingsbury.

Maldonado will look to get back on the winning track after suffering back-to-back defeats to Kingsbury and Pokrajac respectively. Prior to the pair of losses, the former professional boxer was riding an 11-fight win streak.

Teixeira brings an impressive 16-fight unbeaten run to the Octagon with him this fall, having found success in his UFC debut last May when he viciously stopped Kingsbury in under one round. The feared striker holds wins over Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Marcio Cruz and Ricco Rodriguez.