May 5, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Alan Belcher before a middleweight bout with Rousimar Palhares during UFC on Fox 3 at the Izod Center. Alan Belcher won by technical knock out in the first round. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-US PRESSWIRE
Earlier today we told you about UFC middleweight contender Vitor Belfort wanting to fight fellow contender Chris Weidman, along with Alan Belcher completing the triangle by calling out Belfort on Twitter. Well Belcher further expressed his intentions to set up a huge clash with Belfort in an interview with Brazilian magazine Tatame.
"I am working on it. I want Vitor. It makes sense, but he has to agree," Belcher told TATAME via email. "It would be the biggest fight of my career. He needs to fight me to be the best right now. He knows it but is smart, he knows I am hard to beat. I would appreciate the opportunity and take the fight very seriously".
Alan believes that a win over Belfort would be enough or him to earn a title show [sic]. "He is the best fighter in the decision [sic] and most dangerous", he explains, ranking him among the best middleweights. "My ranking, I feel I am the best. I will fight to prove it. If I lose, then I'm wrong".
It seems that lately there's been a deluge of middleweights asking for fights with each other with the race to fight champion Anderson Silva as wide open as ever. Belcher in particular has been at the center of it, both calling out Belfort and Michael Bisping also challenging him.
A potential win against Belfort would be the first top 10 victory for Belcher in his career, and would certainly put him "in the mix" for a title shot, but he's probably not in the front of the pecking order right now. It's going to be a very important period for the UFC to matchup the division appropriately and determine who is a contender and who isn't. They've already started with Bisping against Brian Stann this September and Hector Lombard vs. Tim Boetsch last Saturday, and now their next challenge is who Belcher will face next and whether or not Chris Weidman is ready for a title shot.
Whatever you think of the quality of the division, it's certainly exciting days ahead for the best of the best at middleweight.
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Who should Alan Belcher fight next?
Vitor Belfort (856 votes)
Chris Weidman (191 votes)
The winner of Bisping vs. Stann (177 votes)
Other (70 votes)
1294 total votes
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