The way Vitor Belfort dispatched Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold, you could say he had already earned the right to request the winner of the upcoming Anderson “The Spider” Silva vs. Chris Weidman rematch.
After Belfort became the first man to finish Dan Henderson with strikes on Saturday, he can demand to be next in line for a shot at the UFC middleweight crown. Silva and Weidman will meet again on Dec. 28 in Las Vegas at UFC 168.
After Belfort‘s win over Henderson, UFC president Dana White said this:
The winner had better be ready for a fight if Belfort is indeed on tap.
He again looked dominant in his resurgence. At 36 years old, he’s as good as he’s ever been. Insert Testosterone Replacement Therapy joke here. Belfort has definitely become the poster child for TRT, but until the use of the therapy is deemed illegal, it isn’t worth tainting discussing to a degree that taints what Belfort has done in the Octagon of late.
He’s scored three straight KO wins by head kick, and for what it’s worth, Henderson himself has a TRT exemption.
Belfort had one shot at Silva before, but it ended badly for the Phenom. He was victim of perhaps the most devastating and memorable front kicks in the history of the sport. It actually became the image used for the cover of the UFC Undisputed 3 video game.
Because of this, Belfort may be hoping Weidman wins. Belfort taking on the young champion would be a more intriguing battle than seeing him battle Silva again—at least that’s the opinion of this stateside fan. If a rematch with Silva was made in Brazil, it would be a mega attraction there because both men are legends in their country.
Could this time be different? It is possible. Belfort is more confident and Silva has had his aura of invincibility cracked. If The Spider does avenge his loss to Weidman, we may just get an opportunity to find out.
If Weidman wins, we’ll get a chance to see whether Belfort‘s success can continue against a 29-year-old undefeated champion with two wins over the greatest fighter in the history of the sport. All of a sudden, the 185-pound weight class is interesting again.
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