Vitor Belfort Returns in November, but It Won't Be Against Anderson Silva

It may not be for the championship, but fans of “The Phenom” can rest assured that Vitor Belfort will step back into the famed Octagon before 2010 is over and done with. The news came straight from Belfort himself, as he “tweeted” the following recently: “this year I am not going to fight for the title because the champion is hurt but November we will be in action for sure that is what I can say.” Belfort has been out of action since a “phenomenal” return to the Octagon when he TKO’d former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich Franklin in a catchweight bout at UFC 103 in September 2009. That performance was supposedly enough to warrant a title shot at divisional kingpin Anderson Silva, but the fight has so far been postponed on three separate occasions due to various injuries. And while it looks like the Silva/Belfort super-fight is still a matter of “so close and yet so far away”, Belfort’s return to the Octagon should silence all the nay-sayers and prove once and for all that “The Phenom” is once again a force to be reckoned with.

Let’s start with the basics: everybody loves a comeback, and Belfort’s latest career comeback is perhaps his best, as the fourteen-year veteran hasn’t been beaten since 2006 and has finished all but one of his fights since that loss by (T)KO, including fantastic victories over Matt Lindland and the aforementioned Rich Franklin. Belfort has fought and at times excelled in three different weight classes: Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight, and now Middleweight. His eight losses were all humbling for one reason or another, but they also all happened to be against some of the greatest Mixed Martial Artists ever: Kazushi Sakuraba, Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, etc.

So I honestly can’t wait to see Vitor Belfort back in the UFC. Even with the Anderson Silva fight still a distant (though not hopeless) possibility, there are a lot of great fights for Vitor Belfort at Middleweight. Chael Sonnen vs. Vitor Belfort would kill two birds with one stone, besides the fact that it would also be an excellent fight. Should he win, Belfort would have a big win at Middleweight, which is what many people think he needs to have before getting a shot at the Middleweight Championship. If Chael wins, he would also have a big win over a very credible opponent, which is what some people think he needs to get before he gets a rematch. Fights with Michael Bisping, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and Chris Leben would also be all-out wars that would cement Belfort’s status as a worthwhile competitor.

But I think the best match for Vitor Belfort’s return to the UFC would be a Middleweight mega-fight against another Silva: “The Axe Murderer”, Wanderlei Silva. It’s been over a decade since these two stone-fisted warriors met at “UFC Brazil: Ultimate Brazil”, and it would be a sad understatement to say that both men have changed a lot since that first fight. Despite being one of the most popular fighters of all time (and with damn good reason, I say), Wanderlei Silva needs to continue winning at Middleweight to prove that he’s still got a lot left to give the UFC. If Vitor Belfort were to win, it would prove that he’s still a threat to anyone and everyone in the UFC’s Middleweight division, including the man that was once thought of fondly as the most dangerous man walking the planet. I think Belfort/Wanderlei is a fight the fans would love to see, a fight that would both impress many and prove quite a lot, and it may just steal the Fight of the Year award when all is said and done. But regardless of who he fights and when, look for Vitor Belfort to put on some amazing performances when he returns to the UFC.

And what do you think, fans and friends? Will Belfort make an example of someone and prove that he does deserve a shot at Anderson Silva? If not, who do you see as being the one that brings Vitor’s comeback dreams crashing back down to earth?