Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen II switched to Las Vegas from Brazil Silva-Sonnen II, in front of 80,000 fanatical Brazilians at a soccer stadium in Rio was originally scheduled for June 23rd at UFC 147 but at a press conference yesterday UFC president Dana White announced the move to the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, at UFC 148, on July 7. Clearly the decision wasn't taken lightly and risked upsetting the long-time champion Silva who was known to want to appear before his home crowd. "He was very upset about not fighting in Brazil," White said at the press conference. He wanted this fight with Chael Sonnen here. It took a lot of talking, and I finally convinced Anderson to take this fight in Las Vegas. The reasons for the move have been cited as logistical although there has been speculation that due to Sonnen's outspoken and often dismissive attitude towards Silva and the Brazilian nation, his safety could not be guaranteed. However, White did say that there may be a potential conflict with the United Nation "Rio +20" meeting taking place at the same time. UFC 148 now has the potential to rival UFC 100 as the most heavily stacked card in history. Along with the Sonnen vs Silva title fight it will feature another with Dominic Cruz putting his bantamweight title on the line against Urijah Faber. There is also a major bonus for Michael Bisping, Britain's leading mixed martial artist. Bisping faces Tim Boetsch on the July 7 event, and should he look spectacular against the American wrestler/brawler who put Yushin Okami away in his last outing, the Lancastrian may get his long-awaited call to step up to the plate and challenge for the UFC 185lb title. A featherweight title fight featuring champion Jose Aldo is expected to take the newly available headline slot in Brazil on June 23, with the two ageing legends Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva colliding in the co-main event. It is a long-awaited second fight after their first encounter in 1998, at a UFC event in Brazil, when Belfort eviscerated Silva in 44 seconds.