UFC 175: Chris Weidman wants you to forget about Vitor Belfort

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight kingpin Chris Weidman will defend his 185-pound strap against division number one contender Lyoto Machida in the main event of UFC 175, which takes place on July 5, 2014 inside Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

So please stop talking about Vitor Belfort.

"The Phenom" was originally paired off to battle the "All American," but was forced to withdraw when Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) dropped the ban hammer on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), which prevented Belfort from competing until his system was purged of the controversial treatment.

Didn't seem to stop Chael Sonnen, who also competes at UFC 175, or Dan Henderson, who battles Daniel Cormier in the UFC 173 co main event later tonight in "Sin City."

"I'm fighting Lyoto Machida, forget Vitor," Weidman told reporters at the UFC 175 pres conference (watch it here). "I'm glad to move on and put [Anderson Silva] behind me and I'm excited to fight Lyoto Machida. He's a tricky guy. I'll figure him out."

Belfort, who was hit with a surprise drug test earlier this year in Las Vegas, may end up fighting outside the jurisdiction of the NSAC, based on comments UFC President Dana White made regarding the former champion's future inside the Octagon (read them here).

If and when he does get back into the cage, he's likely to be at the top of the very short list of division contenders and could, conceivably, fight the winner of Weidman vs. Machida by year's end.

Assuming we haven't forgotten about him by then.

Not likely.