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UFC officials confirmed a pair of previously reported bouts for the August show in Brazil, as Jose Aldo will defend his UFC featherweight title against Anthony Pettis.

Also, Josh Koscheck will try to get back on track in the welterweight division when he faces Demian Maia. The card takes place August 3 from Rio de Janerio, Brazil and will serve as UFC 163.

Aldo accepted the fight with Pettis after “Showtime” asked to move down from 155 pounds and face the long-time champion.

The card will mark the fourth UFC event in Brazil in 2013, as the promotion recently held UFC on FX 8 with a headliner fight between Vitor Belfort and Luke Rockhold.

Do you think Pettis can stop the run of Aldo, or will the ex-WEC champ just become another victim of “Scarface?”

Anderson Silva, who is undefeated in the UFC, says when he fights Brazilians, its just different for him. Obviously, he’ll do it if he needs to, but he certainly doesn’t prefer it. Just ask Thales Leites, Demian Maia, or Vito Belfort.

It appears as if those initial Brazilian reports about Josh Koscheck and Demian Maia being added to UFC 163 are true, as MMAFighting.com is also now confirming the bout.

While it makes little sense in terms of the direction both fighters are going, the welterweights appear on a collision course for August 3 and Brazil. No location has been announced for the event.

Koscheck (17-7) is a former No. 1 contender in the 170-pound division, but has lost two straight, including a devastating defeat at the hands of Robbie Lawler earlier this year.

Maia, though, has won three straight to improve to 18-4 since moving down from middleweight. He is also a former title contender, having been defeated by Anderson Silva.

Eduardo Alonso, the manager for rising welterweight contender Demian Maia, believes he has the perfect opponent in mind for his fighter: Tarec Saffiedine.

Saffiedine was the last Strikeforce 170-pound champion, defeating Nate Marquardt before the promotion folded up shop earlier this year.

Maia, meanwhile, is a former No. 1 contender in the middleweight division, and has earned three straight wins – including a decision victory over Jon Fitch – since dropping down to welterweight.

“The division is scrambled, almost all the contenders are fighting at UFC 158 in March, including Georges St-Pierre,” said Alonso, during a recent interview with Tatame. “Now, Demian is among the tops. Do not know if it pays to wait. Has Strikeforce champion coming, so we’ll see who shows up. Saffiedine, being Strikeforce champion, adds prestige. Depending on the timing, it can be interesting.”

Saffiedine (14-3) has won four straight and seven of his last eight. He dominated Marquardt in January, while Maia’s (18-4) win over Fitch came in early February.

As Alonso said, the majority of the Top-10 in the welterweight division are booked for March, as GSP defends his title against Nick Diaz, Johny Hendricks faces Jake Ellenberger and Rory MacDonald battles Carlos Condit.

UFC 156 takes place tonight at 10 ET/7 PT; it will be at The Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada

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Demian Maia has put together a plan of attack for his fight with Jon Fitch this evening at UFC 156.

“My dream is to take the fight down in the first minute and submit Fitch,” said Maia, in a recent interview with ESPN. “That’s my dream and I hope it comes true.”

Maia, a jiu-jitsu wizard who has gone 2-0 since dropping down to welterweight, is a former No. 1 contender at middleweight. He felt the difference in size was hindering him while competing at 185 pounds.

“I felt when I was hitting guys or going for a takedown at 185, sometimes it was like hitting a wall,” Maia said. “Now, in this weight division, it’s more fair to me.”

Maia (17-4) made the move after a loss to Chris Weidman last year. He has scored a pair of victories over Dong Hyun Kim and Rick Story, and knows the match with Fitch (24-4) is an important one as he continues his quest to another possible title fight.

Alright, I’m sure this will stir up the hornet’s nest. These are my picks; they’re founded in reality, but of course they’re just a guess, so feel free to tell me how crazy I am.

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Photo Credit: Tracy Lee/Yahoo! Sports

Competing on Super Bowl weekend offers UFC fighters a little extra motivation.

The card is typically stacked from top-to-bottom, and this year is no exception, as UFC 156 is expected to set the table for the rest of the year.

Featuring a UFC featherweight championship match between Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar, along with the likes of Rashad Evans, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Alistair Overeem, Antonio Silva, Jon Fitch, Demian Maia and others, Saturday’s bouts will help shape where several fighters go in 2013.

The following is a look at what exactly is at stake for the main card fighters at UFC 156, along with a quick look at the prelim competitors, as well:

Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar

Not much at stake in this match, you know, other than the UFC featherweight championship.

Aldo and Edgar are two of the biggest names in the lighter weight classes, with Aldo currently holding serve as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

Edgar was in that discussion before a pair of 2012 defeats to Benson Henderson.

Aldo has future plans to switch weight divisions, as his body is not cooperating as much with the cut to 145. But, the Brazilian does not want to leave the weight class he has dominated for so many years on a loss and possibly forcing him to seek a rematch for his belt.

Edgar, meanwhile, knows a third straight defeat could really knock him down the rankings. He earned the title shot by accepting a short notice bout with Aldo, but his name and reputation helped put him in this position. A win places Edgar into the same category as Randy Couture and BJ Penn as the only fighters with UFC titles in multiple divisions, while a loss could mean a long road back to the top.

Photo credit: Tracy Lee/Yahoo! Sports

Rashad Evans vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

Nothing has been confirmed, but it sounds as if Evans could be on his way to the ranks of the middleweights with a victory over Nogueira.

After failing to defeat Jon Jones last year in his quest to win back the UFC light heavyweight title, Evans isn’t really sitting on the doorsteps to a rematch with Jones should he defeat Nogueira. Instead, a potential colossal encounter with Anderson Silva may await him.

A loss, though, and those “rumors” of meeting “The Spider” get caught up with the trash and thrown out, along with Evans’ standing in the 205-pound division.

For Nogueira, this is an opportunity to finally test himself against a highly-rated fighter. While the Brazilian owns a victory over Tito Ortiz, that doesn’t carry with it the same weight as one over Evans.

No, Nogueira doesn’t move directly into title contention with a victory, but he could place himself in a future match that could decide the No. 1 contender to the belt.

Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio Silva

UFC president Dana White has hinted at the next No. 1 contender in the heavyweight division emerging from the Overeem-Silva contest, and that makes perfect sense – providing Overeem wins.

Overeem, who was expected to fight for the title last year, is returning from his nine-month suspension for a failed drug test. He earned his shot after entering the UFC as the Strikeforce heavyweight champion, along with a first round finish of Brock Lesnar in 2011.

Silva, though, was defeated by current UFC champ Cain Velasquez last year, as Velasquez bloodied his face into a crimson mask with vicious ground-and-pound. Silva rebounded to defeat Travis Browne, but can a win over Overeem really vault him into title contention?

If Overeem wins, regardless of the finish, he earns the next title shot. Silva, though, likely needs a marquee finish to do the same.

Photo credit: Dave Mandel/Sherdog

Jon Fitch vs. Demian Maia

Fitch showed that he isn’t ready to ride off into the sunset just yet, dominating rising prospect Erick Silva last year.

The former No. 1 contender is behind a host of others in the welterweight division, but he’s shown before that through his grinding style, Fitch can make it to the top. A win over Maia would position him for a potential meeting with one of the elite in the division, while a loss would push him back to the middle of the pack.

Maia, also a former UFC title contender, has made an impact since dropping down from middleweight to welterweight. In 2012, he finished both Dong Hyun Kim and Rick Story, putting himself in the exact same situation as Fitch.

Maia is still behind the likes of Johny Hendricks, Rory MacDonald, Carlos, Condit, Jake Ellenberger and others at 170, but a finish of Fitch would do wonders for his career.

Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian McCall

Both Benavidez and McCall suffered losses to current UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson last year. But, with the division still growing, neither fell that far from title contention.

McCall did take Johnson to a majority draw earlier in the year before dropping a decision to him, as an error in adding up the scorecards forced the rematch.

Benavidez was defeated in the finals of the UFC flyweight tournament by Johnson, who competed last month and successfully defended his belt.

A few other names remain out there at 125 in Jussier Formiga and John Moraga, but both Benavidez and McCall provide a strong name to MMA fans. The winner will likely earn the next shot at the belt, while the loser is thrown back to the pack.

The Prelims: Strikeforce Imports

Tyron Woodley, Bobby Green and Isaac Vallie-Flagg are all Strikeforce imports who will be seeking statement-making wins Saturday night.

Woodley, a former title contender in Strikeforce, faces Jay Hieron, who is seeking a UFC victory in the worse way possible.

Green battles Jacob Volkmann, while Vallie-Flagg draws Yves Edwards.

Being a cross-over from Strikeforce, there will be a little added pressure on the shoulders of all three men, as they want to prove to fight fans that they are worthy of competing inside the Octagon.

And, at the same time, Hieron, Volkmann and Edwards want to show that UFC fighters are on another level and desire the high praise they receive.

An intriguing welterweight match could be announced shortly, as the UFC Brazil Twitter page is reporting Jon Fitch and Demian Maia will meet at UFC 156.

The card goes down Super Bowl weekend from Las Vegas. UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will defend his title against ex-UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar in the main event.

Fitch (24-4-1) earned a win over Erick Silva last month. In doing so, Fitch improved to 6-1-1 in his last eight fights, but scored his first victory since 2010.

Maia (17-4) has won both of his welterweight bouts since moving down from the middleweight ranks. He is 5-2 in his last seven fights overall.

Dong Hyun Kim rebounded from a tough loss to Demian Maia earlier this year, dominating Paulo Thiago Saturday at UFC on Fuel TV: Franklin vs. Le.

Kim suffered a rib injury in the early moments of his loss to Maia and was unable to continue. The fight pushed him to return quickly, and now he wants a second chance at Maia.

When asked about his next opponent, Kim simply stated, “Demian Maia,” during the post-fight show on Fuel TV.

The South Korean fighter was one of the most popular athletes on the card from China, and he didn’t disappoint. Kim (16-2-1) controlled Thiago, using his extra-long arms and legs to continually mount and work for submissions.

“We have researched Thiago and knew he was weak from the inside position,” Kim said. He also pointed to the time difference in competing in China, adding that it “like the difference between night and day,” for himself having to adjust compared to when he fights in the U.S.