Taleb meets returning Claudio Silva at UFC Liverpool in May
A matchup over three years in the making is headed across the Atlantic.
Nordine Taleb will square off with a returning Claudio Silva in a welterweight bout at UFC Fight Night 130 on May 27 at Liverpool's Echo Arena, one the promotion added to the official bill on Thursday.
The pair were originally scheduled to tangle back in April 2015 at UFC 186 in Taleb's adopted hometown of Montreal, only for Silva to bow out with a broken foot. Taleb wound up facing Chris Clements and winning a unanimous decision.
Taleb, 36, now heads to Liverpool on a two-fight win streak following a 59-second KO of Danny Roberts in December at UFC on FOX 26. The Tristar man has gotten his hand raised in all but two of his eight trips to the Octagon.
Silva, 35, will end a layoff dating back to November 2014 with what will mark his third promotional bout. He'd most recently been scheduled to face Siyar Bahadurzada at UFC 201 in July 2016, but as in his ill-fated date with Taleb, an injury forced him out of the matchup. He boasts decision victories over Leon Edwards and Brad Scott, and hasn't tasted defeat since his 2007 pro debut.
Welterweights Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson and Scouser Darren Till will close out the UFC's maiden voyage to Liverpool.