Top UFC middleweight contender Vitor Belfort isn’t happy about being on the sidelines for nearly a year now, to the point where he is imploring the UFC to instate an interim middleweight title.
In an interview with MMA Fighting, “The Phenom” said that current 185-pound titleholder Chris Weidman‘s recent history of injuries should prevent him from holding up the division any longer.
In this type of situation, everybody loses – the fans, who want to see an incredible fight, the other athlete, who trains hard for a fight, the promoters and sponsors, who want to make it all happen … The belt must be available to be conquered by the best fighter. I’m in favor of creating an interim title for cases like this, when the champion gets injured more than once, especially in back-to-back injuries, preventing title fights to happen.
Belfort had a great year inside the cage in 2013, scoring consecutive headkick knockouts over Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson.
His knockout over “Hendo,” which took place at UFC Fight Night 32 in November, marked the first time the former PRIDE and Strikeforce titleholder had been stopped with strikes.
Belfort was initially slated to square off with Weidman at UFC 173 in May, but withdrew from the bout in February shortly after the Nevada State Athletic Commission banned testosterone replacement therapy, per FOX Sports.
He was replaced by ex-UFC light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida, though the bout was postponed until UFC 175 in July after the champ needed minor knee surgery, per UFC.com.
Meanwhile, Weidman vs. Belfort was finally slated to go down at UFC 181 in December, but the bout was postponed in February when “The All-American” broke his hand in training (h/t Ariel Helwani).
Would a UFC interim championship at 185 pounds make sense given the current landscape of the middleweight division? Or is this simply a pipe dream on the part of Belfort?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
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