Vitor Belfort – image by Loco via Twitter.com/vitorbelfort
A rumored middleweight bout between former UFC champion Vitor ‘The Phenom’ Belfort (21-10) and ‘The Count’ Michael Bisping (23-4) has become official as the headliner for the Ultimate Fighting Championships next trip to Brazil this January.
The bout, along with several other matchups on the card, was announced Friday night on the promotions UFC.com Brazil site.
“As we had anticipated, 2013 will be a busy year for the Brazilian fans. We are very happy with this event on January 19 that, just as we did in 2012, opens the calendar year of the UFC,” said Marshall Zelaznik, director UFC’s international development, to explain the issue after the announcement of the city: “There are a few details we closed the city. We look forward to announcing in the coming weeks.” (Translated using Google Translate)
The event is scheduled to take place on January 19, 2012 in Brazil with details on the host city coming in the coming weeks. This event marks the fifth event for the UFC in Brazil since August 2011.
Belfort is coming off a submission loss to UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones at UFC 152, after stepping up on short notice to take the fight. ‘The Phenom’ came close to submitting ‘Bones’ in the first round but was unable to force the tap and was submitted himself via keylock in the fourth round. The defeat ended a two-fight win streak for Belfort who earned wins over Anthony Johnson at UFC 142 and Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133.
Bisping has put together a record of 5-1 in his last six matches with a decision win over Brian Stann at UFC 152 in September. The win erased a No. 1 contender loss to Chael Sonnen in January at UFC on FOX 1 via decision. ‘The Count’s’ other victims include wins over Jason Miller, Jorge Rivera, Yoshihiro Akiyama and Dan Miller.