Vitor Belfort: Fights That Make Sense for Him to Take

Vitor Belfort stated in an article by Nate Wilcox of Bloody Elbow Monday that he wants no middleweight bouts unless it is for the title. Tuesday saw him call out Chael Sonnen, who wants the No. 1 middleweight contender spot to be on the line if he accepts. 

If Wednesday passed and it still made no sense to fans out there, Belfort's wife, Joana Prado, shared her thoughts to qualify his demands. 

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It doesn't make sense that Vitor, who is No. 1 in the rankings, should fight against No. 2, No. 6 or No. 10 in his weight class. His next fight in the middleweight class will be against the winner of Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva. If the UFC wishes him to fight in any class above middleweight, we are at their disposal. It can be anyone, Tim Kennedy, even Roy Nelson, but it has to be at 205 pounds or heavyweight—he'll even fight as a heavyweight. Vitor wants to fight, but in his weight class, only if for the belt.

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Belfort is the No. 2 contender in the middleweight division, according to ESPN.com, and his knockout finishes of Luke Rockhold and Michael Bisping have earned him the distinction. If he wants to bide his time until his efforts are rewarded, then he has the right to do so.

But while he's just waiting around there are a few fights that would make sense for him and would certainly be interesting to watch.

Sonnen is in his sights today, but here are some guys he should keep in mind when he's reflecting tomorrow.

Chael Sonnen

Belfort wants him (at a catchweight), and for that reason alone Chael Sonnen makes sense to start this list.

Sonnen is currently scheduled for a tilt with top-10 light heavyweight Mauricio Rua August 17, but he told Franklin McNeil of ESPN July 24 that he intends to drop back down to middleweight following this fight. Interestingly enough, he stated he wanted to fight Belfort.

Most fans will look at this matchup and say it's unfair as Sonnen dropped his last two fights: one against then-middleweight champion Silva and the other against light heavyweight king Jon Jones. Belfort, on the other hand, has demolished his last two opponents.

The fight is perhaps unfair, but Sonnen's current standing as No. 6 in the middleweight ranks and the fact that his last two fights were for a UFC title, regardless of how he earned the bouts, holds some merit.

Sonnen respects Belfort, calling him "awesome" in the McNeil piece, and the style clash would be an interesting one if the fight lasted longer than Belfort's last two fights.

If Sonnen could weather an early storm of strikes like so many others have tried to do against Belfort, it would be interesting to see if he could control him on the ground with his wrestling.

If nothing else, the fight would give both guys what they want until Belfort can find a way to get what he ultimately wants. 

Glover Teixeira

Since Belfort doesn't want any fights in the middleweight division, he needs to fill his schedule with top-tier light heavyweight fights. Glover Teixeira would be very intriguing.

Teixeira is currently ranked No. 6 in the light heavyweight division and is hoping that his next fight Sept. 4 with No. 9 ranked Ryan Bader will earn him some consideration for a title shot. While it isn't likely that he would want to take on Belfort should he win that bout, it would earn him some attention.

Everyone remembers Sept. 22, 2012, when Belfort came withing seconds of snatching Jones' title away with a tight first round armbar. Jones got out of it and proceeded to pick apart the smaller Belfort to keep his belt.

Belfort proved in that match that while he's a natural middleweight, he can still give bigger guys fits, including the elite. If Teixeira wanted to prove that he belongs in a title tilt, then a fight with Belfort would serve just that purpose.

Teixeira likes to box but can take the fight to the ground when needed and pound out a finish. The two match up very well stylistically, and if Teixeira could stand with him, and vice versa, the end result would be exciting.

Belfort needs to keep busy with big-name fights, and if he plans to actually wait for a title shot, then Teixeira is a young up-and-comer who would push him to keep his elite status. 

Rashad Evans

Dana White told reporters at the UFC World Tour Tuesday that he would be interested in setting up a bout between Belfort and Rashad Evans. Evans told McNeil earlier today that he would not fight Belfort due to the fact that they now train together. 

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"I won't fight Vitor," said Evans, who trains with Belfort at Jaco Hybrid Training Center in Boca Raton, Fla. "I won't fight Thiago Silva. I won't fight Cezar 'Mutante' Ferreira. I won't fight anybody who I train with! I made that mistake before, and I won't do that again. I lost a lot of relationships because I did that before."

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Despite his refusal, for solid reasons I believe, the fight definitely makes sense. 

After back-to-back losses, Evans came up with a huge split-decision victory over Dan Henderson in June to preserve his spot at No. 4 in the light heavyweight division. Evans has expressed a desire to move to middleweight, so a catchweight bout with Belfort would help gauge what he needs to do to make the cut.

Although the striking edge would definitely go to Belfort, both are solid in the stand-up, and the speed factor might even out the two in that department. A fight like this most likely would not go to the ground, and a highlight finish by either would jolt them to the top of whatever division.

Evans is still considered an elite fighter, and a fight with him would keep Belfort on his toes with a guy whose speed would allow him to stand-up with him in Belfort's strongest area.

A win for either in a fight like this would come with some serious title-contention credit. 

Daniel Cormier

Joana Prado, Belfort's wife, stated that Belfort would fight anyone at light heavyweight or heavyweight, and Daniel Cormier would be one of the most intriguing fights he could get.

Cormier is currently ranked No. 4 in the heavyweight division but is in the process of cutting to the light heavyweight division to avoid a title fight with teammate and current heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez.

Cormier is 12-0 in his MMA career and has stated that his Oct. 19 bout with Roy Nelson will probably be all he needs to prove at heavyweight before a title shot at Jones is presented to him.

It's already been mentioned that Belfort was dangerously close from defeating Jones, which means he could likely give Cormier a run for his money. Stylistically, the matchup would likely be amazing.

Belfort would show Cormier, whose standup is coming along nicely, what real striking looks like, while Cormier would show Belfort how to really control an opponent with his Olympic-level grappling.

This fight will never happen, but to me it makes perfect sense. A win over Belfort gives anyone credibility regardless of weight class, and if Belfort were able to defeat a likely future challenger to the light heavyweight throne, a middleweight title shot would have to be put on the table.

If Belfort wants a high-profile fight, then this is the biggest one he can find, after October of course. The clash will never happen, but man, it would be something if it did. 

Prediction

A fight with Sonnen is something both he and Belfort have expressed interest in, and it will likely happen. 

Belfort will not fight anyone at middleweight unless for the UFC strap, which means he needs a high-profile bout to keep his status as at least a candidate for a shot.

While I believe a bout with Cormier would be the most interesting and offer the most in return for both guys, the prognosis for Belfort's next fight seems pretty obvious.

Prediction

Belfort signs on with Sonnen around December and knocks him out to remain in the same spot he is now.