Report: Michael Bisping vs Vitor Belfort still not a done deal

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight Michael Bisping has been begging company president Dana White for a title shot versus Anderson Silva for a long time.

He's fought long and hard to get it and has won five of his last six fights. The one loss he suffered during that string was a controversial decision that ended up going to opponent Chael Sonnen.

Mixed martial arts (MMA) legend Vitor Belfort has had his chance in the Octagon against "The Spider," losing by way of a vicious head kick knockout when the two did battle at UFC 126 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Feb. 5, 2011. "The Phenom" has also had another recent title shot, this time coming at 205 pounds, when he took on UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones and lost at UFC 152 in Toronto, Ontario on Sept. 22, 2012.

With the logjam that currently exists in the UFC's middleweight division, plus the possibility of Silva's next contest being a "super fight" versus UFC Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre or Jon Jones, the likelihood that Bisping or Belfort will get to fight Silva anytime soon is not particularly high.

So, in the meantime, why shouldn't the two upper echelon 185 pounders fight each other? It's a question fans and pundits have asked often, as of late, and there has been much speculation along the lines of a potential fight between the two being very close to being made.

The fight may eventually come together, but for now, it looks like things are anything but confirmed, as "UFC Tonight" correspondent and SB Nation journalist Ariel Helwani brings the current latest news on where things currently stand:

"Latest is that according to UFC President Dana White nothing is official. I can report that it was talked about and it was even offered to one of the fighters for January 13 in Brazil. But, it is not a done deal."

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com or all the latest news on the potential confirmation of the fight between Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort.