While question marks remain on whether or not Vitor Belfort will get licensed for his next fight, UFC President Dana White is keen on him meeting champ Chris Weidman next: preferably in Brazil.
White addressed the situation during a media scrum in Dublin yesterday, per MMA Fighting.
We want to make that fight happen," White said. "That's the next fight. That fight should've already happened before the Machida. That's the fight we want to do and that's the fight that Chris Weidman wants. I love this kid calling out Vitor ... It doesn't have to take place in Nevada," White said of Weidman-Belfort. "That fight would be big in Brazil, too. I would do it Brazil. As long as the commission clears him, yeah. We'd want the okay from Nevada, and if Nevada was cool with it, I'd do it in Brazil.
Belfort, 37, is enjoying a three-fight win streak, all of the victories coming in 2013 via a head kick knockout.
However, not everyone was willing to sing "The Phenom's" praises since all those fights took place in his home country of Brazil and he was using testosterone replacement therapy.
The former UFC light heavyweight champion hasn't fought on American soil since August 2011 and has compiled a 4-1 record since then, with his sole defeat coming in a short-notice bout with 205-pound champ Jon Jones.
Belfort was initially set to square off with Weidman at UFC 173 on Memorial Day weekend, but was pulled from the championship matchup shortly after the Nevada State Athletic Commission banned TRT, per FOX Sports.
Furthermore, Belfort failed a post-fight drug test in October 2006 for the anabolic steroid 4-Hydroxytestosterone and, through his own admission, stated he failed a random drug test in February for elevated levels of testosterone.
Belfort was set to appear before the NSAC last month to get licensed for a scrap with Chael Sonnen at UFC 175, but that wasn't necessary since Sonnen was removed from the card after failing some drug tests of his own, per ESPN.
Weidman (12-0) recently expressed an interest in fighting Belfort next after the best 12-month stretch of his career: defeating Anderson Silva (twice) and Lyoto Machida.
All things considered, does Weidman vs. Belfort make the most sense for the next UFC middleweight championship fight?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
