UFC middleweight contender Vitor Belfort is currently nursing a hand injury, but he's already targeting potential opponents. The 35 year-old Brazilian would like one more title shot before it's all said and done.
"I don't know, maybe [I'll fight] Michael Bisping [next]," Belfort said during a recent interview with SPORTV.com (translated by Fightersonly.com). "I was only defeated once recently, by Anderson Silva, and all my wins were very convincing. … I think I deserve this chance for my legacy. Some fighters are like: 'Ah, the guy who has the belt is my friend, I don't want [to fight] him' - well, I want it."
Like Belfort, Bisping is also recovering from injury, and a fight between the two does make some sense. Many scored Bisping' number one contender bout against Chael Sonnen in favor of the brash British fighter and "The Phenom" has been impressive since his UFC return, stopping all of his opponents besides Silva in less than five minutes.
However, there are others in the UFC's middleweight division - like Mark Munoz and Hector Lombard, who are also aiming for the title.
Belfort understands he isn't the only one targeting UFC gold, and he's even willing to move back to 205 pounds for the opportunity to realize his dream.
"I don't know how long I will stay in this division," Belfort added. "I wanted to do two or three more fights. If my body will no longer permit this big weight cutting, I will go up [to the light-heavyweight division]. I am not afraid of Jon Jones or somebody else... It's not for me to choose my opponents. … I don't pick fights. There are people who say 'If they give me this guy, I would rather be fired'!"
I don't really like Belfort's chances against Jones, considering how easy it was for Anthony Johnson to take him down during their UFC 142 encounter. But I do think he has enough left in his tank to get another crack at the middleweight title.
David is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and boxing practitioner that has watched and studied MMA for the past 7 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.
Sources:
Fightersonly.com, "Belfort calls for Bisping then title shot, criticises Shogun, not afraid of Jones"
Fight and fighter information from Sherdog.com
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