Matt Lindland and Vitor Belfort will duke it out for the first-ever middleweight title under the Affliction MMA banner -- possibly the WAMMA belt -- at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 11, according to Tatame.com.
Here's a snip from "The Phenom:"
"I’ll come back in October 11th to fight Matt Lindland for the belt. It’ll be a great fight, we’ll see who is the best of the world there. I saw his fight with Negão and he’s a warrior ... He comes be over you, but I don’t think he has the strength to stay over me. I’ll go to knock him out … My punches are well-aimed and when it hits he won’t stand."
Belfort looked great in his first fight at 185 pounds, taking out Terry Martin in the second round at Affliction: "Banned" with a nice combination that was set up by a flying knee. He sustained a broken hand in the bout; however, he insists in the interview that he will be fine and ready to rock on fight night.
Lindland, on the other hand, did not appear to be in the best shape against Fabio Negao despite a unanimous decision win. Both fighters, in fact, were visibly gassed as the third round expired. Perhaps "The Law" -- considered among the top middleweight fighters in the world -- spent too much time on the campaign trail in Oregon rather than in the gym prior to the showdown.
Belfort could make Lindland pay if he doesn't come in top form on October 11.
In addition to the championship showdown between Belfort and Lindland, WAMMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko is also expected to defend his title for the first time against Andrei Arlovski in the main event of the evening.
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