Mr. IWS
06-11-2014, 08:37 AM
Despite the loss of opponent Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort could still be part of next month’s deep UFC 175 lineup.
Although a failed drug test nixed Sonnen’s (28-14-1 MMA, 7-6 UFC) inclusion on the July 5 pay-per-view card, Belfort (24-10 MMA, 13-6 UFC) hasn’t been ruled out of the event, and officials could give him a replacement opponent.
A source close to the organization confirmed the possibility with MMAjunkie. He spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly on card changes.
UFC 175 takes place at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, and it serves as the UFC’s annual Independence Day-weekend pay-per-view offering.
Although the card has plenty of depth even without Belfort – champion Chris Weidman and Ronda Rousey co-headline the show, and fan favorite Urijah Faber has a main-card slot – the Brazilian could further bolster the impressive lineup.
However, Belfort isn’t exactly a lock for the card. The fighter, who’s ranked No. 3 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings, recently admitted he failed a random drug test due to a spike in his testosterone levels. He’s scheduled to appear before the commission on June 17 as his application is evaluated, though UFC officials appear optimistic he’ll be cleared to fight.
Despite the licensing issues, Belfort was recently named a replacement for Wanderlei Silva (35-12-1 MMA, 5-7 UFC), who was forced off the card with licensing issues of his own. The plan was to have Belfort fill in and fight Sonnen, with a potential title shot on the line.
“The UFC organization supports Vitor Belfort’s application for a license to compete in Nevada, and we respect the Nevada Athletic Commission and its licensing process,” the organization stated in a release this past week. “Pending commission approval, we look forward to a great fight between Vitor Belfort and Chael Sonnen at UFC 175 on July 5.”
However, UFC officials will need to find a suitable opponent with less than a month’s notice, which could be a tall task.
The latest UFC 175 card now includes:
Champ Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida – for middleweight title
Champ Ronda Rousey vs. Alexis Davis – for women’s bantamweight title
Vitor Belfort vs. opponent TBA
Alex Caceres vs. Urijah Faber
Matt Mitrione vs. Stefan Struve
Uriah Hall vs. Thiago “Marreta” Santos
Chris Camozzi vs. Bruno Santos
Guilherme Vasconcelos vs. Luke Zachrich
Ildemar Alcantara vs. Kenny Robertson
Rob Font vs. opponent TBA
Although a failed drug test nixed Sonnen’s (28-14-1 MMA, 7-6 UFC) inclusion on the July 5 pay-per-view card, Belfort (24-10 MMA, 13-6 UFC) hasn’t been ruled out of the event, and officials could give him a replacement opponent.
A source close to the organization confirmed the possibility with MMAjunkie. He spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly on card changes.
UFC 175 takes place at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, and it serves as the UFC’s annual Independence Day-weekend pay-per-view offering.
Although the card has plenty of depth even without Belfort – champion Chris Weidman and Ronda Rousey co-headline the show, and fan favorite Urijah Faber has a main-card slot – the Brazilian could further bolster the impressive lineup.
However, Belfort isn’t exactly a lock for the card. The fighter, who’s ranked No. 3 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings, recently admitted he failed a random drug test due to a spike in his testosterone levels. He’s scheduled to appear before the commission on June 17 as his application is evaluated, though UFC officials appear optimistic he’ll be cleared to fight.
Despite the licensing issues, Belfort was recently named a replacement for Wanderlei Silva (35-12-1 MMA, 5-7 UFC), who was forced off the card with licensing issues of his own. The plan was to have Belfort fill in and fight Sonnen, with a potential title shot on the line.
“The UFC organization supports Vitor Belfort’s application for a license to compete in Nevada, and we respect the Nevada Athletic Commission and its licensing process,” the organization stated in a release this past week. “Pending commission approval, we look forward to a great fight between Vitor Belfort and Chael Sonnen at UFC 175 on July 5.”
However, UFC officials will need to find a suitable opponent with less than a month’s notice, which could be a tall task.
The latest UFC 175 card now includes:
Champ Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida – for middleweight title
Champ Ronda Rousey vs. Alexis Davis – for women’s bantamweight title
Vitor Belfort vs. opponent TBA
Alex Caceres vs. Urijah Faber
Matt Mitrione vs. Stefan Struve
Uriah Hall vs. Thiago “Marreta” Santos
Chris Camozzi vs. Bruno Santos
Guilherme Vasconcelos vs. Luke Zachrich
Ildemar Alcantara vs. Kenny Robertson
Rob Font vs. opponent TBA