Wanderlei Silva vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama in Early 2010

It appears that Wanderlei Silva will fight Yoshihiro Akiyama,

During a Tuesday UFC press conference in Japan, middleweight Yoshihiro Akiyama announced that he'd be fighting Wanderlei Silva early next year, likely in February at UFC 110 in Las Vegas or UFC 111 in Sydney, Australia.

The fight was previously rumored though it was thought to be taking place at UFC 108.

Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-1) is a middleweight fighter who made his UFC debut at UFC 100 where he defeated Alan Belcher. Wanderlei Silva (32-10-1) is still in the process of dropping down to 185lbs. as he previously fought at light heavyweight. Silva last fought to Rich Franklin at a catch-weight of 195lbs. Wanderlei is one of the more popular fighters in the UFC though he is currently 1-5 in his past six fights.

WKR's money is on Silva vs. Akiyama headlining UFC 111. It makes sense for the UFC to put forth two of their international stars as the main event for the company's first  foray into Australia. Most likely the card will be filled with several more Asian fighters to tap into the Eastern Hemisphere market.