With the UFC returning on Saturday night, there is a plethora of fighters looking to have their arm raised in Brazil. As is to be expected, the stakes are higher for some members of the roster than others.
The headlining scrap sees former UFC champion Vitor Belfort welcoming final Strikeforce middleweight kingpin Luke Rockhold into the Octagon.
But who has the most to gain at UFC on FX 8?
Vitor Belfort
Belfort has been vocal about wanting another crack at a UFC championship in either the light heavyweight or middleweight division, he speaks of his desire in this interview with Adam Silvers of Complex.com. After defeating Michael Bisping in January, a win over a top contender like Rockhold would put “The Phenom” on the short list of contenders.
That being said, Belfort has had two title opportunities in his last five fights. In both matchups, the Brazilian was stopped before the fight could reach the scorecards. Unless he scores a monumental stoppage, giving Vitor another crack at the title feels premature.
Luke Rockhold
Considering that Rockhold never lost his belt before Strikeforce folded, a win on Saturday over a respected veteran such as Belfort is essentially a ticket to fight for UFC gold.
Some would suggest that Rockhold doesn’t have anything to gain from defeating Belfort. After all, the Team AKA fighter was named by Anderson Silva‘s management nearly one year ago as the man most deserving of a title opportunity.
In other words, to those who believe that Rockhold is deservedly the man at the front of the line, this fight with Belfort is little more than a stiff challenge to see if he is worthy of keeping his place in line.
Chris Camozzi
Let’s be honest here. With the cancellation of Ronaldo Souza vs. Costa Philippou, there aren’t any fights outside of the main event that have much impact on their respective title picture. However, one man’s trouble is another man’s opportunity, and that is exactly the case for Chris Camozzi.
Camozzi was scheduled to compete against Rafael Natal on the main card, but with Philippou’s inability to fight on Saturday, the TUF cast member was bumped into the co-main event.
Instead of facing an unranked middleweight, Camozzi now has the opportunity to pull off a major upset against former champion “Jacare” Souza. With a high-profile victory on Saturday, Camozzi’s stock in the UFC would skyrocket overnight.
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