Mike Chiappetta • E-mail

The UFC will make its maiden voyage to the Windy City in October, and Chicago-area fans are snapping up tickets in a flash.

At a press conference yesterday, it was announced that over 15,000 tickets have already been sold for the Allstate Arena event, that will eventually hold almost 19,000 screaming fans. The UFC show is expected to break the venue gate record, and has already sold over $2 million in tickets.

The card, headlined by a middleweight title match between Anderson Silva and Patrick Cote, is starting to round out as well, as the UFC announced several of the featured bouts.

In a lightweight fight, surging Tyson Griffin will square off with former lightweight champion Sean Sherk.

Griffin (12-1) has won four straight since dropping a decision to Frankie Edgar in February 2007. He most recently defeated PRIDE veteran Marcus Aurelio at UFC 86.

For Sherk (32-3), it will be his first match since losing his title to B.J. Penn in May.

Other bouts announced yesterday included a lightweight tilt pitting Hermes Franca vs. Gleison Tibau and Pete Sell moving down to welterweight to take on Josh Burkman.

The UFC previously announced a co-main event of Diego Sanchez vs. Thiago Alves. In addition, Goran Reljic, who made his UFC debut with a KO over Wilson Gouveai at UFC 84, will drop down to the 185-pound weight class to take on Thales Leites.

While it was announced that Mike Swick would also be fighting on the Oct. 25 card, Swick likely will not be ready to get back in the octagon. He recently underwent elbow surgery and is still healing and not yet able to train at full capacity. A November/December return remains more likely.

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