Not long after the dust cleared from his latest title defense against Lyoto Machida at UFC 175 (video), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion Chris Weidman was booked to face Vitor Belfort in the main event of UFC 181 on Dec. 6, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
A fight "All American" was asking for all along, and vice versa.
Now that it's signed, sealed and soon-to-be delivered, Weidman is looking forward to facing the best version of Vitor ever; but a win over the power-puncher is simply not good enough.
Weidman revealed to Newsday that if he doesn't score a stoppage victory over the Brazilian bomber in "Sin City," then he's going to go home disappointed.
His words:
"I respect him as a fighter. I'm going in there ready for an absolute war and ready for the best Vitor we've ever seen. I can't afford to have any lack of respect when it comes to fighting. That being said, I'm going in there to get a finish. If I don't get a finish, I'd be real disappointed."
Before "The Phenom" was able to get his much-desired shot at the 185-pound belt, he had to get cleared by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) after prior tests revealed that his testosterone levels were far from normal.
Despite his past transgressions, Belfort was given the green light and granted a conditional license to compete in the state of Nevada. As part of the terms, he will be subjected to plenty of random pre-fight drug testing of which will be taken care of by his personal bank account.
And as the two men gear up to begin their press tour, Weidman is getting his game face on and preparing to answer any and all questions regarding Vitor's past drug issues.
Something Belfort himself should be used to doing by now.
"At this point, he should be pretty used to that type of talk. Nothing should bother him at this point. If it's something that gets people excited, something to talk about, then he should be okay with it and I should be okay with it."
A world champion who isn't bothered by his opponent's past drug issues and looks for the jugular in order to secure stoppage victory.
What's not to like?