Silva vs. Gastelum Set for UFC 212

It appears that Kelvin Gastelum’s move to the middleweight division has a theme: taking on Brazilian legends. After knocking out Vitor Belfort in Fortaleza last weekend, Gastelum called out Anderson Silva. The former welterweight will get his wish, as he will take on Silva at UFC 212 in June.

The matchup was confirmed by the UFC on Tuesday night.

Silva (34-8) last fought at UFC 208, where he beat Derek Brunson by unanimous decision. The victory was not without controversy, as many believes that Brunson deserved the nod. Nevertheless, it was Silva’s first official win since October of 2012.

Gastelum (14-2) moved back up to middleweight at UFC 206 in December, forced out of the welterweight division after dropping out of his UFC 205 fight with Donald Cerrone due to weight cutting issues. He put on one of his best performances, stopping Tim Kennedy in the third round.

After beating Belfort, Gastelum was noncommittal about whether he would return to 170 lbs, but did ask for a big fight if he was to stay at middleweight. He got what he asked for, as he’ll face Silva on the main card of the UFC’s return to Rio.

UFC 212 is headlined by a featherweight unification bout between Jose Aldo and interim champion Max Holloway.