MMAmania.com has learned today that the UFC will indeed go forward with a Spike TV event on July 19 despite some recent reports that claimed it wasn't going to materialize.
We first passed along the news over the weekend that several fighters had been approached about participating in the event, which is less than five weeks away. It is widely believed that the decision to stage an event on such short notice is to counter the Affliction: "Banned" debut event on pay-per-view (PPV) that same evening.
Regardless of the intent, this means that mixed martial arts fans worldwide have some nice available options in mid-July. And there's no reason to not watch both.
As we mentioned in our previous report, promising heavyweight prospect Cain Velasquez is expected to compete on the July 19 card against a soon to be announced opponent. Brandon Vera -- who we can confidently report is making the drop to light heavyweight -- has been asked to headline the event.
There was some valid speculation that he would take on Wanderlei Silva; however, it appears that "The Axe Murderer" will not accept the bout because he does not have enough time to prepare. The hunt for someone to challenge "The Truth" is still ongoing.
In addition to Vera, Velesquez and others, there are a handful of fights already slated for other events that will be shuffled and added to this card. We'll pass those along to you as soon as possible.
The UFC July 19 show will take place in Las Vegas -- most likely at The Palms Resort & Casino.
UPDATE: MMARated.com is reporting that UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva will make his 205-pound debut against James Irvin in the main event. Stay tuned for more details.