Ellsworth native Tim Sylvia will get a second chance to face Andrei Arlovski for the Ultimate Fighting Championship interim heavyweight title Saturday night in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino Events Center.

Sylvia (19-1) will battle Arlovski (8-3) to recapture the title he lost to Frank Mir early in 2004.

Sylvia was supposed to fight Arlovski, a native of Minsk, Belarus, in April, but withdrew days before the bout because he had traces of a banned diuretic in his system. Those traces of an anabolic agent forced him to relinquish his title belt a year ago following the results of a post-fight drug test.

Sylvia’s title fight with Mir June 19, 2004, was stopped 50 seconds in after Sylvia’s arm was broken. Mir is unavailable to defend his title due to a broken leg he suffered in a motorcycle accident in September. The winner of Saturday’s fight will face Mir for the undisputed championship.

The Arlovski-Sylvia fight is part of a main event card that includes Tito Ortiz vs. Vitor Belfort. The night’s first televised fight will air on a pay-per-view satellite and cable TV basis at 10 p.m. on iNDemand, DirecTV, Dish Network, TVN, Bell Express Vu, and Viewers Choice Canada. The suggested price for the broadcast is $29.95.

On-site tickets are available and can be purchased by phone at 1-877-632-7400, online at www.mandalaybay.com or www.ticketmaster.com, or in person at the Mandalay Bay box office in Las Vegas or any TicketMaster location.

Sylvia, a former Eastern Football League Player for three years, started fighting a few years ago. While at Ellsworth, he wrestled and became involved in martial arts training.

The UFC is the world’s premier mixed martial arts sports association.