Another blockbuster bout has been scheduled for UFC 156 according to UFC officials, this one between top middleweight contenders Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort.

The event is set for Jan. 19 in an, as of yet, undetermined Brazilian city. Cities currently being considered to play host, however, so far include; São Paulo, Porto Alegre and Florianópolis, and Rio de Janeiro.

The card already features a much-anticipated featherweight clash between UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.

Bisping (23-4) comes into the bout with an impressive 5-1 record in his last six fights. During the streak, he's has collected victories over Dan Miller, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Jorge Rivera, Jason Miller and Brian Stann.

His lone defeat came at UFC on FOX 2 where he dropped a controversial split decision loss to top middleweight contender Chael Sonnen.

His opponent, Belfort (21-10), a former UFC light-heavyweight champion, comes into the bout with a 7-2 record over his last 9 bouts. Over that stretch he's hammered out victories over Ivan Serati, James Zikic, Terry Martin, Matt Lindland, Rich Franklin, Yoshihiro Akiyama and Anthony Johnson. He's also finished six out of his last seven opponents.

His two defeats over that period have come at the hands of UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, and UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

In his last bout, Belfort became the first fighter to ever truly put the seemingly unbeatable Jones in serious trouble, as he had the champ in a tight armbar in the first round which strained a ligament in his elbow, however, the resilient Jones would escape, and eventually submit an exhausted Belfort in fourth round with an americana.



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Is Vitor Belfort fighting Michael Bisping? Rumors have been running rampant around the MMA world but what do they have to say about that?

With no Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event scheduled until Nov. 10 when the promotion hits China for the first time for UFC on FUEL TV 6: "Franklin vs. Le," mixed martial arts (MMA) fans are left to scrape the barrel for news on upcoming events.

That includes potential fight announcements, like a heavily rumored middleweight clash pitting Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping.

There's been no official word from the UFC, but both have had the situation brought up to them on their official Twitter accounts. Belfort addressed things head on:

"I don't have anything confirmed about fighting Bisping. It's all rumors. When I know about it will let you guys know."

Over on Bisping's Twitter, he was given a good luck wish from a fan and his response was simply to ask, "where you hear that?"

Later, UFC insider and MMA Fighting/SB Nation journalist Ariel Helwani revealed on his Twitter that he "knows that's the direction UFC wants to go in."

So Belfort vs. Bisping is certainly a possibility but it's unofficial at this time. Considering Anderson Silva is on the sidelines waiting to see if Georges St. Pierre gets past Carlos Condit on Nov. 17 in Montreal, both middleweights need something to do in the meantime.

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Guys Vitor just tweeted that this is not true.At least not yet.

Today UFC president Dana White revealed that the UFC is indeed working on making a possible matchup between middleweight standouts Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort for an upcoming UFC event. White cautioned that the bout is a work in progress, and that nothing has been signed or agreed upon as of yet.

White confirmed the news while appearing as a guest this evening on Fuel TV's "UFC Tonight."

Sources close to the fight recently informed FiveKnuckles.com that the potential clash would likely take place at UFC 156, but that information has yet to be officially confirmed.

UFC 156 is scheduled for Feb. 2 and will feature a featherweight superfight between champion Jose Aldo and former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.



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Michael Bisping says he's up for fight with Vitor Belfort, would have his way with Tim Boestch, and KO Chris Weidman

As we told you yesterday, Dana White made it clear that rumors about a match between Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort haven't gone any further than that. But that doesn't mean there's not interest in the fight. First, Vitor responded saying he'd keep everyone posted until he knows more, then Dana, at the very least, didn't kill the idea.

Now, Michael Bisping speaks up about the proposed bout to ESPN:

I've heard the rumour myself, but that's all I've heard. If the fight was to happen I'd definitely be up for it. I've got a lot of respect for Vitor, he's a tough fighter. I want to fight for the title and have the best fights possible - and Vitor would definitely be one of them.Based on that, if the UFC were to come to me with an offer to fight Vitor, I would be more than up for it. I'd look forward to the challenge.

If that fight doesn't materialize, the most likely alternative for Bisping would be to face the winner of Tim Boestch vs. Chris Weidman at UFC 155. Bisping gave his opinion on both of those fighters as well:

I match up really well with both of them. Weidman's stand-up is very very poor, it's not good at all. He's a very good wrestler, very good grappler, but I do well against those guys. I'd get back to my feet and knock him out. Boetsch I don't particularly rank at all. He's just a tough bastard! I'd have my way with him all day.

Bisping has been accused of being over confident for the majority of his career. I'd say this continues that trend. That said, he's definitely earned any of these fights. He's currently 5-1 in his last 6, with the only loss coming via a contentious decision to Middleweight's #2 fighter Chael Sonnen. In his last fight, he defeated heavy-hitter Brian Stann to get his first ever top 10 win. Whichever way it goes, it'll be interesting to see who the UFC matches him up with next.


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I wish they could do Luke Rockhold vs Michael Bispin instead. And hmm... maybe Vitor Belfort vs Dan Henderson? Get the old guys to settle their differences in the cage (Vitor lost to Hendo Pride 32).

Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping Official Headliners For UFC Brazil In January

A rumored middleweight bout between former UFC champion Vitor ‘The Phenom’ Belfort (21-10) and ‘The Count’ Michael Bisping (23-4) has become official as the headliner for the Ultimate Fighting Championships next trip to Brazil this January.
The bout, along with several other matchups on the card, was announced Friday night on the promotions UFC.com Brazil site.

“As we had anticipated, 2013 will be a busy year for the Brazilian fans. We are very happy with this event on January 19 that, just as we did in 2012, opens the calendar year of the UFC,” said Marshall Zelaznik, director UFC’s international development, to explain the issue after the announcement of the city: “There are a few details we closed the city. We look forward to announcing in the coming weeks.” (Translated using Google Translate)

The event is scheduled to take place on January 19, 2012 in Brazil with details on the host city coming in the coming weeks. This event marks the fifth event for the UFC in Brazil since August 2011.

Belfort is coming off a submission loss to UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones at UFC 152, after stepping up on short notice to take the fight. ‘The Phenom’ came close to submitting ‘Bones’ in the first round but was unable to force the tap and was submitted himself via keylock in the fourth round. The defeat ended a two-fight win streak for Belfort who earned wins over Anthony Johnson at UFC 142 and Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133.

Bisping has put together a record of 5-1 in his last six matches with a decision win over Brian Stann at UFC 152 in September. The win erased a No. 1 contender loss to Chael Sonnen in January at UFC on FOX 1 via decision. ‘The Count’s’ other victims include wins over Jason Miller, Jorge Rivera, Yoshihiro Akiyama and Dan Miller.

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