UFC 142: How Close is Vitor Belfort to a Title Shot?

For only the second time in his illustrious career, Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort had the honor of fighting in front of his home crowd at UFC 142, Brazil.

As he did almost 14 years ago, Belfort did not disappoint, defeating Anthony “Rumble” Johnson via rear naked choke—his first submission in nearly 11 years and only the third in a career that has spanned almost 16 years.

The bout itself was shrouded in controversy, as Johnson—who was making his debut at 185 lbs, having jumped a weight class from welterweight—was found to be over the weight limit during the initial weigh-ins at 197 lbs.

Still, the fight went ahead as planned with Belfort coming in at 205 lbs and Johnson 211.6 lbs before the co-main event kicked off.

Even though he was roughed up a bit and taken to the mat on several occasions, Belfort still managed to lock in the winning submission.

The time: 4:49 of Round 1.

Following the loss, Johnson (10-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) was subsequently released from the Zuffa-based organization due to his failure to make the required weight.

Since his loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 126, Belfort has amassed a two-fight winning streak.

Also, at UFC 142, The Phenom (21-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC) proved that he’s still a world-class mixed martial artist as well as a threat to anyone in the middleweight division.

That begs the question, how close is The Phenom to a tilt at the title?

Well first off, there’s a rematch with Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva, whom he defeated via TKO at the inaugural UFC Brazil.

That fight is penciled in for later this year, after the finale of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, where both combatants will be the opposing coaches.

If Belfort is successful in that matchup, then a top-10 ranked fighter looms, or dependent on the middleweight picture at the time, it could be a straight title shot.

With that said, Belfort is one, maximum two fights away from a shot at the UFC middleweight crown.

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