This time, it’s official.
Vitor Belfort had been rumored for an upcoming Brazil headliner with Michael Bisping, but both fighters claimed they didn’t know anything about the match.
Now, the UFC’s Brazilian website has confirmed the fight is happening (h/t MMA Mania), and it will top a January 19th event featuring the following fight card:
Main Card
- Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping
- C.B. Dollaway vs. Daniel Sarafian
- Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Ben Rothwell
- Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Thiago Tavares
Preliminary Card
- Godofredo Castro vs. Milton Vieira
- Andrew Craig vs. Ronny Markes
- Nik Lentz vs. Diego Nunes
- Edson Barboza vs. Justin Salas
- Michael Kuiper vs. Thiago Perpetuo
- Yuri Alcantara vs. George Roop
- Roger Hollett vs. Wagner Prado
- Francisco Trinaldo vs. C.J. Keith
No location or venue has been given yet, although the main event is likely expected to be a title-eliminator situation for Bisping. That same statement can’t readily be said for Belfort, who lost a title fight to middleweight champion Anderson Silva by knockout just last year at UFC 126.
Daniel Sarafian, a finalist for The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, also returns in a co-main event fight against C.B. Dolloway. Sarafian was previously unable to complete this season due to a torn elbow ligament suffered during training.
Most of the bouts on the card currently have verbal agreements, so not every one is official just yet. Changes to the main card may be likely, as the UFC’s previous three events in Brazil (UFC 134, UFC 142, UFC 147) have featured five main-event fights.
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