While Vitor Belfort will not get his second crack at the UFC middleweight championship anytime soon, he may get a fight with one of the top pay-per-view draws in the company.
On Tuesday evening’s addition of UFC Tonight, Ariel Helwani said he spoke with Joana Prado, Belfort’s wife/manager, who explained that a fight with Strikeforce import Tim Kennedy was declined since it “doesn’t make sense.”
Since a title shot could be as far as a year away, “The Phenom” is open to fighting at light heavyweight, heavyweight or a catchweight in the meantime, and in an ideal world, would like to settle the score with long-time rival Chael Sonnen.
“The American Gangster,” who serves as an analyst on the FUEL TV program, quickly accepted the challenge and has no qualms with fighting as catchweight … as long as Belfort is willing to make it a title eliminator fight for the next 185-pound title challenger.
Both competitors have fought at middleweight and light heavyweight in their careers, so a 195-pound catchweight makes the most sense, though that detail was not discussed explicitly.
Sonnen headlines UFC Fight Night 26, set for August 17 in Boston, against former 205-pound champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, though the trash-talker extraordinaire announced last week that he would be retuning to 185-pounds after the bout as part of a stipulation in his new contract.
A three-time UFC title challenger, Sonnen wasn’t able to capitalize on any of the opportunities.
He lost to long-reigning middleweight champ Anderson Silva (twice) and light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones.
However, once Silva lost the strap to Chris Weidman at UFC 162 earlier this month, it seemed plausible that Sonnen could once again be a contender at the lighter weight class.
“Uncle Chael” also suggested the bout be held at UFC 168, which takes place on December 28 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, which has Weidman vs. Silva II as the main event.
That would make it perfect timing for the winner of Belfort vs. Sonnen to get a shot at either Silva or Weidman.
Of course if Silva wins the rematch, the UFC is in an awkward position if they book a trilogy fight between Sonnen and his Brazilian adversary, given the fact that “The Spider” finished him in both their previous match ups.