Major shuffling for UFC events

Major shuffling is taking place for what are to be two of Ultimate Fighting Championship’s biggest events of 2012.

UFC president Dana White confirmed during UFC 145 weekend in Atlanta that Frank Mir will replace Alistair Overeem on May 26 at UFC 146 as challenger for the heavyweight title held by Junior dos Santos. In addition, the UFC 147 main event June 23 between middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen could be moved to a new date and location thanks to unforeseen logistical issues regarding a stadium event in Silva’s home country of Brazil.

Mir, a former heavyweight champion who is riding a three-fight winning streak, was given the shot versus dos Santos after Overeem failed a random drug test in March.

Cain Velasquez, who had been scheduled to face Mir to determine the No. 1 contender, will now take on Antonio (Bigfoot) Silva at UFC 146. Silva was originally booked against Roy Nelson, who now will fight Gabriel Gonzaga.

The company is scrambling over what to do with the Silva-sonnen superfight. UFC has planned on hosting the event June 23 at soccer stadium Estadio Olimpico Joao Havelange, in Rio de Janeiro. However, a United Nations peace conference scheduled for June 20-22 in Rio is causing logistical issues. In addition, said White, the UN is pressuring local officials to not host a high-profile fight card at the same time as a peace conference.

“I will have all the answers in Brazil (today). I better, anyway. I’m flying all the way down there,” White said, noting a news conference was scheduled.

UFC 147 will still take place in Brazil on June 23, said White, but it was looking likely that it would be staged in an arena, with Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva in the main event.