After injuries resulted in a series of postponements, welterweight standouts Jon Fitch and Thiago “Pitbull” Alves are set to compete in a long-awaited rematch at UFC 115 on June 12th in Vancouver, British Columbia. UFC President Dana White confirmed the news late tonight.

Most recently, Fitch and Alves were set to square off at UFC 111, but Alves was forced to withdraw from the fight after a pre-fight CT scan detected a brain anomaly. He has since undergone surgery to correct the problem and will be ready to return on the much-discussed June card.

Fitch (22-3-0, 1 NC) retained his spot on the pay-per-view portion of UFC 111 and walked away with a convincing decision victory over late replacement Ben “Killa B” Saunders. He later campaigned for a title shot, but was met with resistance from White. The UFC president informed Fitch that he would likely have to get past American Kickboxing Academy teammate Josh Koscheck or Alves before he would get a second crack at UFC Welterweight Champion Georges “Rush” St. Pierre. The talented wrestler could place himself back in line for a title shot if he is able to defeat Alves for a second time.

Alves (16-6-0) also came up short in his title tilt with St. Pierre at UFC 100 and has not fought since then. Leading into the fight, he totalled wins over Koscheck and former long-time champ Matt Hughes, but the American Top Team star has struggled with injuries and weight cutting in the past. Known primarily for his devastating Muay Thai, Alves has knocked out ten of his opponents to date and will be gunning for revenge when he finally faces off with Fitch again. Fitch stopped Alves in the second round of their June 2006 bout.

UFC 115 is set for June 12th at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The event has been the subject of discussion and speculation throughout the past month as city councillors determined whether the UFC would be allowed to hold an event within the city. An announcement earlier this week confirmed that the event will go ahead as planned, though issues remain that must be worked out before June.

(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)