Alan Belcher Wants Vitor Belfort in Brazil; Belfort Accepts the Challenge

Coming off a win nobody expected him to get, Alan Belcher understands why maybe he’s not the name any top middleweight is itching to fight.

Just about everybody short of the people closest to Belcher thought he was going to be the latest victim to leg lock master Rousimar Palhares at UFC on Fox 3 in May, and when the Brazilian snatched his limb early in the first round all the prognosticators felt vindicated with their choice.

Belcher was happy to disappoint all of them as he slipped out of the submission and proceeded to pound Palhares into the mat, earning the TKO victory.

Since that time, Belcher has been waiting for the fight to come along that could help him earn his long awaited shot at the UFC middleweight title, but lately all he’s been doing is waiting.

“With all due respect, the fighters and the coaches can see the skills a little more clearly than everyone else. They’re a little bit more realistic and honestly I’m probably more well rounded than anyone else. When you go against someone that has a well-rounded game and you can’t really see holes in their game, meaning they can punch, they can kick, they can defend takedowns, and then on the ground they’re dangerous, and then they have some momentum going like I do with a winning streak and I have motivation and I’m really intense, I think I’m a dangerous fight for most people,” Belcher told MMAWeekly.com on Tuesday.

“I’m not saying they’re dodging me, but I’m saying they’re trying to be smart.”

The two names that seem most relevant to Belcher right now are former UFC champion Vitor Belfort and current top middleweight contender Chris Weidman. Earlier in the day on Tuesday, Belfort was calling for a fight with Weidman, while Weidman has been hoping to land a fight with UFC middleweight king Anderson Silva.

Again, Alan Belcher’s name was nowhere to be found, so he’s taking matters into his own hands.

“Right now, if I want to get something signed it needs to be against Vitor Belfort or Chris Weidman. Both of those guys are highly ranked, good fighters, very challenging for me and both of them could potentially be a top contender,” said Belcher.

“I want to fight Vitor. He’s still an awesome fighter, still a top contender, but he’s also a legend. I’d be happy with either one of those fights right now, otherwise wait for (Brian) Stann and (Michael) Bisping and see what happens there.”

Well before Belcher could even make his statement, it appears that Belfort is now on board with the match-up. After propositioning Weidman for a fight, only to be turned down moments later via Twitter, Belfort then turned his attention to Belcher.

“Belcher let’s make this fight (at) UFC Rio on Oct 13,” Belfort wrote on Tuesday.

For his part, Alan Belcher seems more than happy to accept.

“I want a challenge and if that means going to Brazil and fighting one of the best Brazilians ever, then let’s do it. I’m willing to fight anyone, the bigger, the stronger, the better the opponent, and the setting that is the scariest, is the most attractive fight for me,” Belcher stated.

“Cause right now that’s what motivates me is the challenge, my fear of losing. I’m so motivated to keep winning and get that belt.”

While the fight is far from official, both Belcher and Belfort appear to be on board, so now it’s up to the UFC to seal the deal.

No matter who he faces next however, Alan Belcher is supremely confident that he’ll be the one coming out on top and earning a title shot in the very near future.

“I’m the guy to beat,” said Belcher. “And it’s going to be hard for anybody to beat me.”

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