(“I…[*punch*]…HATE…[*punch*]…FRIGGIN’…[*punch*]…CLOWNS!!!” Photo via MMAWeekly)

From threatening a year-long vacation to suggesting far-less-worthy challengers, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and his management team did their best to avoid fighting undefeated contender Chris Weidman. But according to a new report from Mark La Monica at Newsday, the match is going to happen, whether they like it or not. Here’s the scoop:

ALBANY — Chris Weidman will finally get the title shot against UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva on July 4th weekend at UFC 161 in Las Vegas, Newsday has learned. [Update: The fight will actually headline UFC 162, on July 6th. UFC 161 is the Winnipeg event that will be headlined by Barao vs. Wineland.]

UFC chief executive Lorenzo Fertitta on Wednesday told Weidman, a Baldwin native, in the Capitol building that he spoke to Silva and that he agreed to the fight.

“Dream come true,” Weidman said. “Ever since I’ve been fighting, Anderson Silva has been the champion and I’ve been visualizing beating him. Now I have the opportunity. I have to make the most of it.”

As Newsday reports, bout agreements have yet to be signed, but getting Silva to agree to the fight was the biggest hurdle, as the Spider has tried to hold out for more lucrative fights against bigger names.

Finally, Chris Weidman is getting his fairy-tale ending. The problem is, he’ll be doing it after a long injury layoff, due to the right labrum tear he suffered in November and his subsequent surgery. (For the record, Weidman says he’s “100 percent healed” as of yesterday, and has been cleared to resume training.) Weidman hasn’t competed since his second-round destruction of Mark Munoz last July — which was thrilling at the time, but now feels like ancient history.

So, for those of you who anointed Weidman as the future of the UFC middleweight division after he KO’d Munoz, and hyped him as Anderson Silva’s worst nightmare…do you still feel the same way today?