Anderson Silva returning to the Octagon at UFC 208

Dana White just announced today an Anderson Silva vs. Derek Brunson match for the February 11th show at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

The bout will take place at UFC 208, which is headlined by Holly Holm fighting Germaine de Randamie for the women’s featherweight title. The winner of that fight will be the division’s inaugural champion. The show is also scheduled to feature Jacare Souza vs. Tim Boetsch, Glover Teixeira vs. Jared Cannonier, and Travis Browne vs. Derrick Lewis.

The 41-year-old Silva hasn’t fought since last July and is coming off back-to-back losses to Michael Bisping and Daniel Cormier, the latter in a fight he took at the last minute with virtually no training as a replacement when Jon Jones failed a drug test and was pulled from UFC 200.

It’s a golden opportunity for Brunson to make a name after losing in a spectacular short fight with Robert Whittaker on November 26th in Melbourne, Australia.