Vitor Belfort vs. Luke Rockhold May Be in the Works; Anderson Silva’s Manager Tries to Call Dibs on the Former Strikeforce Champ


(Let’s just say that one of these men doesn’t start each morning with six ounces of lean protein. / Photo via AllElbows)

Following Vitor Belfort‘s stunning head-kick finish of Michael Bisping last weekend, UFC president Dana White threw out an interesting suggestion for the Brazilian’s next opponent: “[Luke] Rockhold. That’s what we’re talking about.”

Rockhold, who is now officially a UFC middleweight following a flawless nine-fight run in Strikeforce, hasn’t competed since his decision win over Tim Kennedy last July, and recently called out Costa Philippou for his UFC debut — a move that now seems pretty damn humble. By comparison, a match against Belfort would give the AKA product a much higher profile for his Octagon debut, and could help break him as a new UFC star if he’s victorious.

In a related story, Anderson Silva‘s manager Jorge Guimaraes told SporTV that they’d like to face Rockhold next: “It would be champion against champion. It’s a good fight to promote.” And it would, in the same way that Benson Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez is a good fight to promote. We just can’t shake the feeling that there’s at least one other guy in the UFC middleweight division who’s a little more deserving.

So here’s my idea — a single-night four-man tournament to determine the next middleweight title contender, featuring Belfort, Rockhold, Chris Weidman, and Hector Lombard, in which all fighters would be required to be on TRT. (An alternate bout between Jacare Souza and Minowaman would be slated on the prelims.) I know, I know, I should have Joe Silva’s job. It’s all politics, bro.


(Let’s just say that one of these men doesn’t start each morning with six ounces of lean protein. / Photo via AllElbows)

Following Vitor Belfort‘s stunning head-kick finish of Michael Bisping last weekend, UFC president Dana White threw out an interesting suggestion for the Brazilian’s next opponent: “[Luke] Rockhold. That’s what we’re talking about.”

Rockhold, who is now officially a UFC middleweight following a flawless nine-fight run in Strikeforce, hasn’t competed since his decision win over Tim Kennedy last July, and recently called out Costa Philippou for his UFC debut — a move that now seems pretty damn humble. By comparison, a match against Belfort would give the AKA product a much higher profile for his Octagon debut, and could help break him as a new UFC star if he’s victorious.

In a related story, Anderson Silva‘s manager Jorge Guimaraes told SporTV that they’d like to face Rockhold next: ”It would be champion against champion. It’s a good fight to promote.” And it would, in the same way that Benson Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez is a good fight to promote. We just can’t shake the feeling that there’s at least one other guy in the UFC middleweight division who’s a little more deserving.

So here’s my idea — a single-night four-man tournament to determine the next middleweight title contender, featuring Belfort, Rockhold, Chris Weidman, and Hector Lombard, in which all fighters would be required to be on TRT. (An alternate bout between Jacare Souza and Minowaman would be slated on the prelims.) I know, I know, I should have Joe Silva’s job. It’s all politics, bro.