Vitor Belfort vs. Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza headlines UFC Fight Night 87 in Brazil

Vitor Belfort

UFC Fight Night 87 takes place in Brazil on May 14 and two of the biggest superstars in the country will headline the event when Vitor Belfort faces Ronaldo Souza in a middleweight showdown with significant potential impact on the title picture.

The event was announced by UFC officials.

Belfort (25-11 MMA, 14-7 UFC), the No. 5 ranked fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings, is looking to fight his way back to a shot at the middleweight championship and new belt-holder Luke Rockhold. Belfort scored a knockout of Rockhold in May 2013. That loss is the only defeat Rockhold has suffered in his 15 most recent fights.

Belfort received a shot at then-champion Chris Weidman at UFC 187, but came up short. Weidman stopped Belfort in 2:53. He rebounded with a first-round knockout of Dan Henderson at UFC Fight Night 77.

“Jacare” Souza (22-4 MMA, 5-1 UFC), ranked No. 4, had an eight-fight winning streak snapped at UFC 194, losing a controversial split decision to Yoel Romero. Prior to the defeat, Souza had rattled off wins in his first five trips to the octagon. Four of those victories came by TKO or submission.

The impact of the defeat could be lessened with the news that Romero was notified of a potential USADA anti-doping violation after the fight.

“It’s a guy that we have a lot of respect for,” Souza’s manager, Gilberto Faria, told MMAjunkie. “It’s a prime opportunity to test ourselves against a legend like him, and it’s a great way to go to get the belt. We believe an outstanding victory will put us in line for a title shot.”

An exact location for the event has not been announced at this time, though the UFC states that the event will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1.

For more on UFC Fight Night 87, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.