Vitor Belfort vs. Luke Rockhold main event booked for UFC in Brazil

Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE

Now that the TRT cat is out of the bag, Vitor Belfort has settled in to his new favorite place to fight. Heading to Brazil to challenge him and make his case for an upcoming title shot (at "The Phenom's" expense) is ex-Strikeforce Champion Luke Rockhold.

I guess the mixed martial arts (MMA) media didn't fuck the whole deal up, as feared.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White said Vitor Belfort's next fight would be against the last man to hold the Strikeforce Middleweight Championship, Luke Rockhold, and now we can can file it under "official" for an upcoming event in Brazil, according to a report from Tatame.

A date and venue have yet to be determined.

Belfort (22-10) is fresh off a TRT-powered ass kicking of Michael Bisping at the UFC on FX 7 event earlier this year in Brazil. "The Phenom" could be a couple of wins away from a rematch against Anderson Silva, he just has to fulfill this obligation first.

Could Rockhold be one of those "top guys?"

The American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) standout enters the Octagon with a 10-1 record and having never lost under the Strikeforce banner. In addition to being the last man to hold the now-defunct promotion's 185-pound strap, Rocky boasts wins over Ronaldo Souza and Tim Kennedy.

Unlike Gilbert Melendez, who was able to walk right into a title shot, Rockhold won't get a crack at "The Spider" like he was hoping for, but it would be hard to deny him one if he upsets Belfort in front of a hometown crowd. Heck, a finish might damn near guarantee it.

That is, unless Chris Weidman has something to say about it first.