UFC Quick Quote: Vitor Belfort is ‘the next best thing’ to fighting Anderson Silva

"I love it [the match up with Belfort]. It's pretty much the next best thing to Anderson Silva. Vitor Belfort's a legend -- I think he's probably the second best in the division and I'm going to go out there and I'm going to make my presence felt and I want to get to that belt as fast as possible and I think Vitor's a great opportunity."

-- Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight contender Luke Rockhold tells FUEL TV correspondent Ariel Helwani that he believes fighting Vitor Belfort in the main event of UFC on FX 8 is "the next best thing" to facing 185-pound champion Anderson Silva in a web exclusive interview (watch it here). Rockhold, the final middleweight champion of the now-defunct Strikeforce organization, makes his UFC debut in Belfort's home country of Brazil next Saturday (May 18, 2013) and views the match up with "The Phenom" as an opportunity to jump right into the mix of top contenders in his weight class. Since returning to the UFC in 2009, Belfort has only lost to champions Silva and Jon Jones, which means a victory for Rockhold would be the most significant of his career and put him in some rare company. Belfort is the No. 2 middleweight contender according to the official UFC rankings, and Rockhold is eager to come in and try to steal his thunder.

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