Vitor Belfort still has his middleweight title shot, but must first get the rubber stamp from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) before he can cash it in.
That's according to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President Dana White, who declared during a recent ESPN Fan Chat that "The Phenom" hasn't lost his spot in the 185-pound pecking order after he was forced to withdraw from his title fight against UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman.
A championship fight that was set to go down at UFC 173 on May 24, 2014 in "Sin City."
"Vitor," said White, when asked who gets next crack at the 185-pound belt. "After he gets his business cleared up with Nevada."
The "business" Vitor has to get cleared up is his testosterone levels, which now have to register at normal numbers seeing as how testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) is no longer allowed in the state of Nevada, or Brazil, for that matter.
Hence the reason "Belfort vs. Weidman" was scrapped.
Despite reports that Vitor only had 90 days to rid himself of any extra testosterone, this member of the MMA media suggests the Brazilian bomber has yet to start the process of getting his license to fight. And those results of that impromptu drug test Belfort went through last February, are still being kept under tight wraps.
For now.
Nevertheless, "The Phenom" is still guaranteed to get the winner of UFC 175's title fight between division champion Chris Weidman and new No. 1 contender Lyoto Machida, a headliner which now takes place on July 5, 2014, in Las Vegas. But first, he needs to handle his business with the NSAC.
Chop, chop!