An untimely hand injury has forced former UFC light heavyweight champ Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort out of a planned rematch with fellow TUF Brasil coach Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva at UFC 147 on June 23rd. Silva will instead face another former foe, Rich “Ace” Franklin, in the main event.

The bout between Franklin and Silva will be contested at a catchweight of 190 pounds and is the latest in a series of changes to the card, which takes place in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The event also features a heavyweight battle between Fabricio Werdum and Mike Russow.

Franklin (28-6-0, 1 NC) and Silva (34-11-1, 1 NC) first faced off in a hotly-contested matchup at UFC 99, with Franklin emerging victorious via a close but Unanimous Decision. The former king of the UFC’s middleweight division has fought just three times since, and has been inactive since a February 2011 loss to Forrest Griffin. Silva has won two of his three fights since the first bout with Franklin and most recently stopped Cung Le at UFC 139 in November. The hard-hitting striker had looked to get revenge for a 1998 loss to Belfort in the June rematch, but will instead attempt to even the score with Franklin.

Le, who originally scheduled to face Franklin at UFC 148, will remain on that card. According to a report from MMAjunkie.com this evening, Le will face the returning Patrick “The Predator” Côté.

UFC 147 takes place on June 23rd at Jornalista Felipe Drumond Stadium in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)