Vitor Belfort Ready To Put Title Shot On The Line Against Dan Henderson
The stakes will be high for surging UFC middleweight contender Vitor Belfort when he faces Dan Henderson in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 32 from Goiania, Brazil. The fight will be contested at light heavyweight, but Dana White has said it’s still a make-or-break proposition for “The Phenom.”
Win, and he’ll get the coveted 185-pound title shot he’s been campaigning for. On the other hand, a loss will remove him from title contention. Belfort was last seen knocking out promotional newcomer Luke Rockhold with an emphatic spinning head kick at UFC on FX 8 this May.
He’s on a roll – but he still has his harsh critics thanks to widely publicized TRT use. That doesn’t matter to “The Phenom,” who’s only focused on the tough task at hand:
“I’m so happy just to be able to go into this fight so focused. I’m looking forward to fighting one of the greatest fighters of all time, Dan Henderson, so that’s my focus right now. You’re remembered for your last fight, so some people are afraid of taking a risk. Everything is a risk in life. We have to go out and risk in order to win.” – via MMA Junkie
It sounds like Belfort has a good attitude about the inherent risk he’ll assume in Goiania this Saturday. He’s fought “Hendo” on time before, losing a decision in Pride back in 2006. “The Phenom” will be anxious to avenge his loss.
With the way he’s been mowing down foes this year, the odds are in his favor.
But there’s always that X-factor of Henderson’s vaunted H-bomb coming into play. The 43-year-old Henderson has looked a bit slow to the punch in recent outings, dropping decisions to light heavyweight stalwarts Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida in his last two. He’s in the twilight of his career, but a win over Belfort will immediately have him back in the mix. “Hendo” still wants to obtain a piece of elusive UFC gold, the only hardware missing from his impressive collection.
He’ll have to stop Belfort’s momentum to do so. With both fighters willing to lay it all on the line, we should have an entertaining main event from Goiania.
