Wanderlei Silva, the former PRIDE 205-pound champion has signed with Zuffa to compete under the UFC umbrella.

"Many fighters have a dream of fighting for the UFC, and as a champion for six years in Japan my dream has always been to have the UFC belt," Silva was quoted as saying on the UFC Web site. "Today, I'm one step closer to this goal."

In July UFC president Dana White told Yahoo!'s Kevin Iole that he didn't see a fight between Silva and Liddell, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, "happening now" after a deadline passed on an agreement that would have put the "Axe Murderer" in the octagon against "The Iceman" on Sept. 22.

A month later, Silva travelled to Las Vegas to sign the deal at the Zuffa offices. No date was announced for Silva's UFC return -- he is 1-2 in the octagon -- though it's believed he'll compete in December.