BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil – Seven years after their first meeting inside the Pride ring, Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson meet again as they headline UFC Fight Night 32 in Goiania, Brazil, on Nov. 9.
Belfort looks motivated to keep impressing until he gets another shot at a UFC title, and he wants to tie the score against the Team Quest product.
“It’s a rematch, so it won’t taste differently,” Belfort told the media in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, during UFC Fight Night 28 on Wednesday. “It gives me more motivation. He’s a tough fighter, but I’ll be ready to dominate him for five rounds.”
Tickets went on sale on Friday, and Belfort guarantees the fans won’t regret buying to watch him battle Henderson.
“That’s the type of fight that the fans will enjoy,” he said. “It’s going to be intense. I have 14 weeks until the fight, and preparation requires dedication and sacrifice. I’ll focus on winning the fight. I’m preparing myself for a five-round intense fight. That’s the way I predict the fight going.”
Back in 2006, Belfort was 2-4 in his last 6 coming into the bout, while Henderson had won four of his last five. Now, their careers are in different momentums.
The Brazilian has lost only to Anderson Silva and Jon Jones since that day, and “Hendo” looks to rebound after back to back losses to Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida.
Belfort wants the winner of Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva 2 next after finishing his last four middleweight bouts, and beating Henderson would definitely help his case even with the fight being a light-heavyweight contest.
“My division is the 185 pounds, absolutely,” he said. “I’m ranked there, but the Dan Henderson fight came in a good moment. He’s a fighter well ranked at 205, who has a fantastic history. But I’m not thinking about anything yet. My next mountain is Dan Henderson and that’s the mountain I want to climb. Dana White decides that. There’s a ranking, but I’m not worried about that. I’m only worried about beating Dan Henderson. The more victories I get, the highest I get.”