Silva vs Irvin On July 19th

by Robert Sargent

Confirming their rumoured July 19th event on Spike TV, the UFC has announced that the main event will feature UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva's debut at light heavyweight, as he takes on "The Sandman" James Irvin.

Also on the card will be a second light heavyweight showdown, pitting Brandon "The Truth" Vera - in his light heavyweight debut - against former IFL standout Reese Andy.

Originally rumoured to feature a main event between Vera and Wanderlei Silva, the July 19th show, which is being hastily put together to attempt to attract attention away from the stacked Affliction event on the same night, will now see Vera (8-2-0) taking on Andy (7-1-0), who racked up a number of key wins in the IFL.

Vera is coming off of two losses at the heavyweight level, while Andy has won four in a row, with an earlier victory over highly-touted Mike Ciesnolevicz.


Anderson Silva's light heavyweight debut should go through with few problems. His opponent, James Irvin, is a very talented fighter, but his strengths lie mainly in striking. Silva (21-4-0) has shown that he can take a solid punch, and will likely be able to defeat Irvin (14-4-0, 1 NC) whether the fight stays standing or not.

The remainder of the card is expected to be announced in the coming weeks, but it appears as though the UFC has done a reasonable job of competing with Affliction for July 19th supremacy.



No longer scheduled to face Vera, Wanderlei Silva will reportedly face dangerous striker Thiago Silva later this year, in what could easily be one of the greatest striking battles in UFC history.