Vitor in photo by Josh Hedges
UFC president Dana White confirmed via twitter that Anderson Silva will defend his UFC middleweight belt against Vitor Belfort. Although no date has yet been confirmed, the bout will likely take place at UFC 125, on January 1st, 2011 in Las Vegas.
Anyone who checked GRACIEMAG.com earlier in the day saw how the “Phenom” was injured and had to pull out of his UFC 122 fight, where the Brazilian would have faced Japan’s Yushin Okami and the winner would be next in line to challenge for the middleweight belt. However, Dana White stated that Belfort is not in fact injured, just his fight with Okami, who now faces Nate Marquardt. The Carlson Gracie black belt will now go after the “Spider”, who would have had a rematch with Sonnen, but the American failed to pass a banned-substances test and is suspended from the Ultimate Fighting Championship for a year.
In a recent interview on Brazilian television program UFC sem Limites, Vitor expressed a great desire to face Anderson Silva.
“He knows it, if my hand lands on him he won’t be able to keep his feet,” he challenged.
(Collaborator: Junior Samurai)