Vitor Belfort ready to take on the winner of the Weidman-Silva rematch
Vitor Belfort might have earned the title shot that he has been longing for when he disposed Dan Henderson in the headlining bout of UFC Fight Night 32. He finally avenged his 2006 loss to the former Olympian and he did it in a devastating fashion. He knocked out Henderson in just the 78 seconds of their rematch in Goiania, Brazil. The loss was the first time for Henderson to be stopped by strikes in his 39 fights as a pro MMA fighter.
After his impressive victory, Belfort again expresses his desire for another crack at the middleweight gold.
“I’m looking right now for the winner of Silva-Weidman, but Dana White makes the call,” Belfort said at the UFC Fight Night 32 post-fight press conference. “I told them I’ll be ready, but good things come when you work hard. I just gotta be willing to take the risk and go forward.”
The win solidified Belfort’s spot as a contender in the middleweight division. He has been relentlessly asking Dana White for a shot at the 185 belt after Chris Weidman wrestled the title from Anderson Silva last July. During that time, the UFC president firmly stated that he will not give a middleweight title shot to Belfort. However, that decision was changed after Belfort put together a string of spectacular finishes over three notable opponents.
In the post-fight interview of UFC Fight Night 32, Dana White confirms that Belfort will challenge whoever walks away with the 185 belt in UFC 168. He also hinted that the promotion could set up a big event in Brazil should Silva regain his title in his upcoming rematch with Chris Weidman this December.
“The 185-pound division is exciting. It’s really getting good,” said White. “There will be nothing but big fights for Vitor. Imagine if we did a rematch between Silva and Belfort. We could do that in a soccer stadium here.”
[Photos from imperiomma.com]
Categories: Features, MMA, UFC
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Steve