(Vitor and Dan in 2006, tanned to the gills and ready to rock. / Photo via MMAWeekly)
On Tuesday’s installment of UFC Tonight, it was announced that the UFC is looking to book former champions Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson against one another for a fight November 9th in Brazil. The fight would be a rematch of their October 2006 Pride 32 bout, which resulted in a decision win for Henderson and a steroid suspension for Belfort.
UFC Tonight did not specify what weight the fight would take place at; both men have campaigned at middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight in the past. However, it will be a safe bet that the TRT will be coursing freely through the veins of both future hall of famers, though, as Brazil ain’t exactly Nevada or New Jersey when it comes to drug testing credibility.
If Belfort agrees to the fight, it will be an interesting move given how fickle and picky he’s been with proposed match-ups in recent months. He’s turned down Tim Kennedy, ignored an offer from Lyoto Machida and said he wouldn’t fight at middleweight unless it was for the belt, before challenging Chael Sonnen (at what weight, no one knows). Sonnen accepted publicly but now it appears Belfort will go for Henderson — who is on a two-fight losing streak compared to Belfort’s two-fight win streak.
Henderson has a great chance to jump back into title consideration with a win over Belfort, however. If he beats the red-hot Brazilian on his own turf, he’ll likely be able to make a case for more big match ups at either middleweight or light heavyweight and, if he could win another one of those in exciting fashion, Hendo might very well find himself on a short list of title challengers, depending on who the champions are. Meanwhile, Belfort will take a fight against a 43 year old man on a losing skid in a fight that will likely not help his standing in any weight division. I guess.
What do you say, taters? Do you want to see this rematch and, if it happens, who do you see coming out on top and how?