After the debacle that saw UFC 151 cancelled after Dan Henderson suffered a knee injury, the end result pits UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones against a former champion, Vitor Belfort.
Belfort, while an unlikely title challenger, believes he is more deserving of the title fight than former two-time middleweight Chael Sonnen.
The Brazilian believes that Sonnen only got a chance at Jones due to unlikely circumstances and a longstanding Twitter war with the champ. Here’s what Belfort had to say on the latest edition of FUEL TV’s UFC Tonight (transcription via MMA Mania):
“I have history in the UFC. Not like all the other clowns talking on Twitter. You know which clown I’m talking about. I think he doesn’t deserve a shot at all but I think the event should continue with another fighter. I don’t know what happened, but I am thankful that the fight came to me. I am really thankful to Lorenzo and Dana for giving me the chance and to the fans.”
“The Phenom” hasn’t competed at 205 pounds since Sept. 2007. Some fans would’ve preferred to see “Bones” defend his title against Sonnen, who accepted a bout with Jones as a last-minute replacement.
However, Jones declined the fight that would have salvaged the event, noting that eight days was not adequate preparation for a dangerous opponent like Sonnen.
Belfort elaborated on his earlier point:
“I think Jon Jones vs. Belfort makes more sense. The way Chael got beat by Silva in the last fight, he doesn’t deserve to go for a title fight. There were so many guys that were willing to fight Jon Jones that had good wins and good records in the UFC like Chris Weidman. Chael is trying to move up in weight and give up on his weight class, that’s the way I see it. But guess what, I am really thankful Jones didn’t accept that fight with Chael that week and that fight came to me and I really have to thank God.”
Sonnen is 2-2 in his past four fights, with both losses coming at the hands of UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. The more recent loss was of the TKO variety at UFC 148.
Belfort takes on Jones in the main event of UFC 152, scheduled for Sept. 22 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Fight fans, which matchup did you find more intriguing: Jones vs. Belfort or Jones vs. Sonnen?
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