While he might be out of action momentarily, Vitor Belfort has made his intentions clear to his next opponent when he does return.
Belfort suffered a minor injury, which resulted in him withdrawing from UFC 139 against Cung Le. The UFC immediately found a replacement in Wanderlei Silva, who Belfort said was a good choice, and that he hopes Silva can regain some momentum and earn a victory in his upcoming bout.
“I think it’s a great fight for Wanderlei to come back,” Belfort told TATAME.com.
“He won two of his last eight fights, right? So, I think it can put him back, give him a motivation to stay fighting.”
The minor injury Belfort suffered was a recurring injury that almost forced him to back out of his last fight against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133. After receiving doctor’s orders to refrain from doing any contact, the Brazilian decided to pull out of the bout, in order to be fully recovered for his next outing inside the Octagon.
And “The Phenom” has one opponent in mind: Chael Sonnen.
“I think it’s the perfect timing, he’s a good opponent and it’s a fight that everybody wants to see,” he said.
Sonnen has become notorious lately for calling out Brazilian fighters and making disrespectful remarks towards the culture and impact they have on mixed martial arts. His comments have offended fighters like Anderson Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Wanderlei Silva, and Belfort said he would like nothing more than to make an example of him.
“I’d pound him out,” he said. “Let’s hope he wins this fight and the UFC puts him against me. That’s the fight everybody wants to see.”
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