Vitor Belfort’s wish to face Chael Sonnen next has apparently been rebuffed by UFC officials, who now have another fight in mind for the former champion.
According to a tweet by UFC Tonight on Tuesday, UFC president Dana White is in the process of booking a fight between Belfort and former Strikeforce and Pride champion Dan Henderson at an event in Brazil on November 9.
The report stated that both fighters have verbally agreed to the fight, but no bout agreements have been issued for the potential bout later this year.
Part of the delay comes from the fact that while both fighters seem to be on board for the bout, no weight class has been offered or decided upon for the matchup. Both Henderson and Belfort have fought extensively at middleweight and light heavyweight, so they could potentially compete at either weight class.
If Belfort and Henderson do square off in November, it will be the second time they have faced each other, with the original bout taking place at Pride 32 in 2006 in Las Vegas.
Henderson won that fight by unanimous decision, with his wrestling being used predominantly to take Belfort to the mat on repeated occasions. Following the conclusion of that bout, Belfort tested positive for anabolic steroids and was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for nine months and fined $10,000.
Belfort has been on quite a run lately in the middleweight division, with blistering performances to knock out both Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold in back-to-back fights. While those types of wins over two top-10 middleweights would normally yield a title shot, Belfort is on the outside looking in as Chris Weidman and Anderson Silva prepare for their rematch later this year at UFC 168.
Instead of sitting and waiting for a title shot that’s not guaranteed, Belfort will likely step back into the cage come November with a chance to redeem an earlier loss against Henderson.
If the fight comes together as reported, it will also be huge for Henderson, who is currently coming off of two straight losses in the UFC to Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report
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