Vitor Belfort recently turned down a middleweight fight against Tim Kennedy, but now he may have to face a teammate instead.
The UFC recently began putting together a bout between Belfort and Kennedy for an event scheduled for sometime in 2013.
The only problem is that Belfort was not a fan of the matchup. He stated via his wife on Tuesday’s edition of UFC Tonight that no middleweight fight made sense for him right now except a shot at the champion, whomever that will be after Chris Weidman meets Anderson Silva for a second time in December.
In the interim, Belfort said he is happy to stay busy fighting at a catchweight, light heavyweight or event heavyweight—whatever the UFC needs him to do so long as it’s not at middleweight.
UFC president Dana White happily countered Belfort‘s offer with a fight that interests him at 205 pounds.
“Vitor doesn’t want that fight, so I said, okay, let’s do him and Rashad (Evans) then,” White said on Wednesday. “He wants to fight at a heavier weight, let’s do him and Rashad. I haven’t heard back on that yet. Lorenzo is dealing with Vitor.”
While White never gave much detail on why he was trying to put a fight together between Belfort and Evans, it’s no secret that the UFC doesn’t appreciate fighters turning down bouts they offer.
Belfort and Evans happen to be teammates at the Blackzilians camp in Florida. They have been working together while both were getting ready for fights recently.
White pitting the pair against one another could ultimately be punishment for Belfort turning down the fight with Kennedy while saying he shouldn’t be fighting anyone at middleweight unless the belt was on the line.
The other scenario Belfort presented to the UFC was a bout against Chael Sonnen, but White threw water on that idea immediately. Sonnen is currently preparing for a showdown at UFC Fight Night 26, where he will meet former light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in the main event.
“First of all, Vitor‘s calling out Chael? Chael hasn’t even fought yet,” White said. “Chael’s fighting Shogun.”
It appears that for now, White is taking himself out of the conversation to decide what comes next for Belfort and leaving it up to UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta.
“Vitor drives me crazy, man,” White stated. “Lorenzo can deal with Vitor, not me.”
It’s unknown at this time if the UFC has actually offered Belfort or Evans the option of facing each other, but they will likely face resistance from the two teammates who train together and also share the same management team.
Whom Belfort ends up facing next remains a mystery, but he’s certainly raised the ire of the UFC and White with his decision-making lately.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
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