Report: Vitor Belfort Replaces Wanderlei Silva, Faces Chael Sonnen at UFC 175

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Chael Sonnen will reportedly face Vitor Belfort, not Wanderlei Silva, when he steps into the Octagon at UFC 175.

The change was first reported by Brazilian outlet Combate. According to the report, Silva did not attend a hearing to receive a license from the Nevada Athletic Commission, and Belfort has been cleared to compete by the NAC. UFC officials were not immediately available for comment.

Sonnen and Silva were featured as coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3,” which streamed on UFC Fight Pass. Their matchup was designed to bring their publicized feud to a head, though the conflict’s resolution has now been placed on hold.

UFC 175 takes place July 5 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and will see Lyoto Machida challenge middleweight champion Chris Weidman in the evening’s main event.

Belfort, 37, now returns to the Octagon after a planned UFC 173 clash with Weidman was scrapped due to Nevada’s recent ban on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). Belfort posted three consecutive knockouts last year, stopping Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold before doing the same to Dan Henderson last November.

Another former TRT user, Sonnen was granted a license by the NAC earlier this month along with Henderson, who recently competed at UFC 173. Sonnen, 37, last competed on Nov. 16, when he was finished by Rashad Evans via first-round technical knockout at UFC 167.