Vitor Belfort Declines Any UFC Non-Title Fight at Middleweight; Dana White Offers Rashad Evans

UFC president Dana White had plans for Vitor Belfort to square off with Tim Kennedy, but it looks like those plans have gone awry.

Belfort recently declined the offer to fight Kennedy, his wife and manager Joana Prado telling Globo.com that Belfort is the top contender at middleweight, so it made no sense for him to fight anyone at 185 pounds other than the champion.

Belfort is coming off of back-to-back, highlihgt reel knockout victories over Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold, which he believes puts him in the catbird seat.

Prado clarified that Belfort would fight for the UFC, even against Kennedy or anyone else, as long as it was a catchweight bout or at light heavyweight or even heavyweight. He just didn’t feel he should fight anyone at middleweight unless the belt was on the line.

That’s fine by White, who seemed to wash his hands of the matter, but not before offering an alternative and questioning Belfort’s matchmaking ideas.

“Vitor doesn’t want (the Kennedy) fight. So I said, okay, let’s do him and Rashad (Evans) then (at light heavyweight),” White said Wednesday in New York. “He wants to fight at a heavier weight, let’s do him and Rashad. I haven’t heard back on that yet.”

It’s not clear if that’s something that Belfort would even entertain, especially considering he trains alongside Evans at the Blackzilians camp in Florida. It would seem unlikely, however, as Evans helped coach Belfort for his UFC light heavyweight title challenge against Jon Jones.

Belfort has already offered his own alternative… Chael Sonnen.

White was somewhat baffled by the sense in that match-up as well.

“First of all, Vitor’s calling out Chael?” he shook his head. “Chael hasn’t even fought yet. Chael’s fighting Shogun (on Aug. 17 in Boston).

“Vitor drives me crazy man. Lorenzo can deal with Vitor, not me.”