Rumor: Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort Set For UFC 212
Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort will rematch at UFC 212 from Brazil according to a report from Fighters Only Mag.
The 40-year-old Belfort, who is nearing the end of his legendary mixed martial arts (MMA) career, has reportedly agreed to replace Kelvin Gastelum, who was removed from the card after violating the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA’s) anti-doping policy last week.
There was talk that former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold could be filling that void, but the report suggests ‘The Phenom’ is the man being brought in for the job instead.
Silva and Belfort initially met in the main event of UFC 126 in February of 2011, and it ended with one of the greatest knockouts in MMA history when ‘The Spider’ landed a front kick to Belfort’s face for a first-round victory. The victory marked Silva’s then-eighth successful consecutive title defense.
After that bout Silva would go on a three-fight win streak before embarking on the first four-fight losing streak of his career. The former 185-pound champ’s last Octagon appearance saw him take home a controversial unanimous decision win over Derek Brunson at UFC 208 in February.
Belfort also had a mixed record following the UFC 126 bout and is currently on a three-fight losing streak, having been finished in all three of those contests. The potential rematch with Silva would most likely be Belfort’s last.
