James Irvin vs. Thiago Silva Completes UFC 71 Card

James IrvinUFC newcomer Thiago Silva (9-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will face James Irvin (12-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) in a light-heavyweight bout at next month’s UFC 71 event, according to UFC.com.

The addition of Irvin fills what was the remaining hole on the rumored UFC 71 fight card. The event, which is headlined by the much-anticipated rematch between UFC light heavyweight Chuck Liddell and Quinton Jackson, brings the total number of fights to the usual nine.

The pay-per-view event takes place May 26 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Silva, a Brazilian who trains with Chute Box, turned pro in September 2005 and has finished seven of his nine fights by knockout. He is the Fury Fighting Championships Grand Prix Champion for the 93-kilogram (205-pound) and lighter division. His most victory was over Tatsuya Mizuno (KO via soccer kick) in a February 2007 Pancrase event.

Based on video footage of his past few fights, Silva is an obvious hard hitter who looks very comfortable on his feet. He has a solid sprawl, good footwork and exceptional balance while delivering kicks.

His opponent is one of the UFC’s most entertaining fighters — win or lose.

In his most recent fight, Irvin dazzled a UFC 65 crowd of fellow Californians with a brutal TKO of Hector Ramirez.

The latest rumored card includes:

* Champion Chuck Liddell vs. Quinton Jackson (for light heavyweight championship)
* Josh Burkman vs. Karo Parisyan
* Keith Jardine vs. Houston Alexander
* Chris Leben vs. Kalib Starnes
* Jeremy Stephens vs. Din Thomas
* James Irvin vs. Thiago Silva
* Terry Martin vs. Ivan Salaverry
* Sean Salmon vs. Eric Schaffer
* Wilson Gouveia vs. Carmelo Marrero