According to a UFC official, Vitor Belfort refused to accept a rematch with Anderson Silva in Brazil, because he wanted to wait for the winner Luke Rockholds title fight versus Chris Weidman.
UFC senior vice president Giovani Decker has confirmed rumors that Vitor Belfort has turned down a possible rematch against Anderson Silva to Brazilian broadcaster Combate.
According to the UFC official, the organization planned a big stadium show in Curitiba, Brazil’s Arena da Baixada soccer stadium for UFC 197, headlined by a UFC heavyweight title rematch between Fabricio Werdum and Cain Velasquez. Anderson Silva was supposed to be the co-main event, possibly against Michael Bisping.
After a series of injuries, Werdum-Velasquez 2 has been moved to UFC 196 and UFC 197 from the stadium to the considerably smaller HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, with Anderson Silva versus Vitor Belfort as the new main event. But Belfort didn’t accept the fight, says Decker.
“With the card losing a title fight as big as that one, we thought this card would fit better at the Arena, no longer at a soccer stadium. But we couldn’t get the deal done with Vitor Belfort. Anderson accepted the fight, but Vitor decided to wait to see what would happen in the fight between Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold (at UFC 194), and he was right, because Rockhold won and called him out at the UFC 194 post-fight press conference, which was a good sign for him.” (Translation via MMA Fighting)
Belfort, then on testosterone-replacement therapy, welcomed Rockhold in the UFC with a devastating head-kick knockout in 2013. Ever since, the former Strikeforce and now UFC champion swore to take vengeance on the “Phenom”, who he thinks is a cheater.
Decker continued by stressing that Belfort hasn’t turn down the Silva fight because he didn’t want it, but because he rather wanted to wait for his opportunity to win another UFC title.
“Many people said Vitor didn’t want this fight, and that wasn’t the truth,” Decker said. “He wants it, he made it clear it will happen at some time, but for him, thinking about his career and what he has ahead of him at this moment, this fight wouldn’t make sense. We were running out of time, and the UFC needed to announce the UFC 196 main event in Las Vegas. That’s why the fight between Werdum and Velasquez ended up there.”
Rockhold won the UFC middleweight title from Chris Weidman at UFC 194 and immediately demanded a rematch with Belfort. However, a rematch with Weidman or a fight against Ronaldo Souza seems more realistic at the moment, since Belfort has lost in a title opportunity in May last year.
UFC 197 is now headlined by a champion-versus-champion superfight between Conor McGregor and Rafael dos Anjos as well as a women’s bantamweight bout between Holly Holm and Miesha Tate. Anderson Silva headlines UFC London in February versus Michael Bisping.