Belfort patient for title shot
Fighting in the main event of an Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view event is a dream come true for most fighters.
For Vitor Belfort, it’s just another roadblock.
Belfort will take on Yushin Okami on Nov. 13 at UFC 122 in Germany, with the victor getting the next shot at the winner of the middleweight title rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen, which should take place in early 2011.
It was a shot Belfort thought he earned when he beat Rich Franklin in September 2009. But Silva was injured and couldn’t take the fight. Then Belfort got hurt and Sonnen stepped in to take on the champion.
Belfort believed he was waiting for the winner, but after Silva pulled out a late victory in a bout dominated by Sonnen last month, a rematch was ordered, leaving Belfort to wait again.
The 33-year-old Brazilian insists he has not grown frustrated waiting for the opportunity to win the title.
“I’ve learned one thing in life. Everybody has a course. Everybody has a path. I know where I want to go, and I know I’m going to get there,” he said after a Monday training session. “I know what I have to do to get there. The obstacles in the way, I don’t choose. God knows, my job is to get through them.”
Belfort, who spends his training camps in Las Vegas — mostly under the tutelage of Shawn Tompkins at Tapout Training Center — previously has held the UFC title.
He won the light heavyweight belt in 2004 when Randy Couture suffered a nasty cut just 49 seconds into their fight. Belfort lost the title in the rematch and left the organization a year later.
Belfort bounced around between several promotions before rejoining the UFC to fight Franklin last year.
He must now beat Okami, whose tough, methodical style often frustrates opponents. But Belfort said he’s ready.
“I’m not worried at all about him. I’m not worried about anyone besides myself,” he said. “I’m worried about me and working on myself every day to get in the best condition, because I know when I’m in my best condition, I’m trouble.”
■ MOTOR CITY MADNESS — On the heels of UFC 120 in Indianapolis on Sept. 25, the organization will return to the Midwest for UFC 123 in Detroit.
The card, slated for Nov. 20, is expected to feature a matchup of former light heavyweight champions Lyoto Machida and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
The event could be held at The Palace of Auburn Hills, home of the Detroit Pistons.
Machida lost the belt when he suffered the first loss of his career to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in May.
Jackson was the champion in 2007-08, before losing the belt to Forrest Griffin. He won his next two bouts but most recently lost to Rashad Evans in May in his first action in more than a year.
The UFC has held an event in Michigan before — UFC 9 in Detroit — but that was prior to the current ownership taking control of the organization and the implementation of most of the rules currently in place.
■ SHARK FIGHTS PPV — Texas-based organization Shark Fights will stage its most prominent card to date on pay per view Saturday night.
The event, taking place in Amarillo, features several fighters with UFC experience.
Longtime UFC light heavyweight contender Keith Jardine will meet former UFC and Strikeforce fighter Trevor Prangley in the main event.
Another pair of former UFC light heavyweights, Houston Alexander and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, will square off on the card.
Also, Paul Daley will take on Jorge Masvidal. Daley was ousted from the UFC after landing a cheap shot on Josh Koscheck well after the final bell of their bout in May.
■ HUERTA RETURNS — Former UFC star Roger Huerta will fight Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez on Oct. 21 in Philadelphia.
The nontitle bout will air on Fox Sports Net. Huerta was upset by Pat Curran in the organization’s lightweight tournament, but he will take on Alvarez, with Curran out with an injury.
Huerta made national news outside the cage when he was involved in an altercation in July outside a nightclub in Austin, Texas. The incident was captured on video and appeared to show Huerta knocking out a man who had struck a woman.
Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509.
