UFC 152 puts Vitor Belfort back in a title fight for the first time since being front kicked in the face by Anderson Silva. The middleweight contender will challenge for the light heavyweight gold due to contenders turning down fights and a string of injuries.
When Dan Henderson pulled out of UFC 151, Belfort’s name did not come up in the discussion of replacements. When the event was canceled, it was just assumed Lyoto Machida would then accept the fight against Jon Jones. That did not happen.
Now, Belfort takes advantage of an unlikely opportunity in Toronto.
Over the course of UFC history, there have been several other unlikely title challengers.
Here are five other unlikely title contenders that have challenged for UFC gold.