It has been a tumultuous week of scheduling for UFC 147 but the dust finally appears to be settling as UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo is likely to face Erik Koch in the main event. According to MMAWeekly, the bout has not been officially signed but it has been confirmed by sources close to both parties.
Aldo had been expected to fight the winner of the “UFC on Fuel TV 3″ main event between Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung at UFC 149. That changed when the UFC moved an anticipated middleweight title rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen was moved from UFC 147 to UFC 148 in Las Vegas.
With Aldo’s fight date being moved up, it was difficult to expect that either Poirier or Jung would be able to be medically cleared, much less ready for a title fight, in little over a month.
Koch had originally been expected to face Poirier in February to decide to the number one contender until Koch suffered an injury. Now healed, the dynamic Duke Rufous product will look to take the title in the champion’s home nation.
UFC 147 is set for June 23 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil and is expected to co-headlined by a middleweight bout between Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva. The event is also expected to have both the middleweight and featherweight finals of TUF Brazil, as well as a heavyweight bout between Fabricio Werdum and Mike Russow. No venue has currently been set as this post.
