The much anticipated featherweight bout between UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo and Anthony Pettis is now official for the main event at UFC 163 in Brazil.
MMAJunkie.com reported that UFC officials announced the match-up at the UFC on FX 8 post-event news conference.
In addition to the featherweight fight, welterweight fighters Demian Maia and Josh Koscheck will square off as well.
Aldo (22-1) as mentioned above is coming off an impressive five round war with former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar in the main event at UFC 156. Aldo is riding an impressive 15 fight winning streak and since moving over to the UFC has defended his title four times.
Pettis (16-2) was the final WEC lightweight champion and was expected to fight for the UFC lightweight title on numerous different occasions, however that didn’t come to fruition. In his last bout he obliterated Donald Cerrone with a deadly liver kick to finish the fight early in the first round. He was declared the number one contender in the UFC’s lightweight division, but he had heard that before. So, rather than waiting it out he decided to take fate into his own hands.
Maia (18-4) made the drop to welterweight in the middle of 2012 and has gone on a three-fight winning streak. Most recently the Brazilian defeated Jon Fitch by unanimous decision at UFC 156 in February.
Koscheck (17-7) was most recently knocked out by Robbie Lawler at February’s UFC 157 event. Prior to that he lost to Johny Hendricks by split decision at UFC on FOX 3. This was the first time in Koscheck’s MMA career that he lost back-to-back fights.
UFC 163 will go down on August 3 from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.