In a “blink and you missed it” moment during last night’s UFC “Ultimate Finale,” company president Dana White told past Ultimate Fighter winner Amir Sadollah that he is looking at bringing Vitor Belfort back to the Octagon.
But the announcement did not stop there–White raised the stakes by expressing the belief that Belfort is a worthy challenger for Anderson Silva’s UFC Middleweight Championship.
Belfort’s three-fight contract with Affliction ends with his August fight against Jorge Santiago, so while UFC is not yet able to lock Belfort down for the fight, its opportunity is on the near horizon. The fact that Silva is already scheduled for an August Light Heavyweight bout against Forrest Griffin assures that he will not be able to defend the title until late 2009 anyway, thereby taking the pressure off UFC officials on the matter of finding a capable challenger for his belt.
In addition to Vitor Belfort, eyes will undoubtedly be on the winners of Michael Bisping vs. Dan Henderson and Demian Maia vs. Nate Marquardt to find future challengers for Silva’s Middleweight gold.
Belfort, coming off big knockout victories over Terry Martin and Matt Lindland at recent Affliction events, last fought in the Octagon in 2005–he lost a decision to Tito Ortiz.
