UFC 147
| Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1993 |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas , United States |
| Products | Mixed martial arts events, pay-per-view broadcasts |
| Website | www |
UFC 147: Silva vs. Franklin II was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 23, 2012, taking place at the Mineirinho Arena in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Background
This event showcased the concluding bouts of the featherweight and middleweight tournaments from The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. Due to injury, Daniel Sarafian withdrew from the Middleweight final, leading to the inclusion of semifinalist Sérgio Moraes as his replacement. Originally set to face Moraes, Renee Forte was removed from the card but was assured a future opportunity to compete in the UFC.
The originally scheduled main event rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen was postponed and moved to UFC 148 in Las Vegas. Consequently, the co-main event rematch featuring Vitor Belfort versus Wanderlei Silva was promoted to headline UFC 147. Plans for Featherweight champion José Aldo to defend his title at this card were altered; Aldo instead remained on UFC 149 to face Erik Koch.
On May 26, Belfort withdrew after sustaining a broken left hand during training sessions. Former champion Rich Franklin stepped in as Belfort’s replacement to compete against Silva in a 190-pound catchweight contest. Franklin had previously secured a victory over Silva at UFC 99 in June 2009, a fight that earned Fight of the Night recognition.
Due to several modifications to the main card lineup, the UFC offered full refunds to ticket purchasers who opted not to attend—marking the first instance in promotion history where refunds were granted prior to an event. This refund period was available for a limited time from June 18 through June 20.
Bonus Awards
Monetary bonuses of $65,000 were awarded as follows:
- Fight of the Night: Wanderlei Silva vs. Rich Franklin
- Knockout of the Night: Marcos Vinicius
- Submission of the Night: Rodrigo Damm