Sonnen vs. Silva to headline Bellator PPV at MSG on June 24

Chael Sonnen and Wanderlei Silva can finally put their rivalry to bed. They just won't do it in the Octagon.

The pair of UFC alums will square off in the main event of Bellator 180 at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 24, president Scott Coker told the Associated Press' Greg Beacham. The bout's contested weight has yet to be revealed, although both Sonnen and Silva have competed at middleweight and light heavyweight.

The card marks just the second pay-per-view event in the promotion's history, and its first in over three years.

The bout had been attached to three UFC cards following the buildup of their heated rivalry as opposing coaches on the third season of "The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil," only for Sonnen to fail several random drug tests and Silva to refuse to to undergo one. The beef was later relegated to a state of limbo when Sonnen retired and Silva was handed a lifetime ban - later docked to three years - by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, both in 2014.

"The American Gangster" came out of retirement when he signed with Bellator in September 2016 and made his promotional debut in January at Bellator 170, where he was submitted by Tito Ortiz in two minutes.

Silva was released by the UFC in early 2016 before inking his own Bellator deal last March, and will be eligible to compete stateside as of late May. "The Axe Murderer" last entered the cage in March 2013, when he KO'd Brian Stann in the second round of the main event of UFC on Fuel 8.

Bellator also intends to have several of its latest acquisitions - UFC alumni Lorenz Larkin and Ryan Bader among them - make their promotional debuts on the June card.