Middleweight contender Vitor Belfort, forced to withdraw last month from an April matchup with middleweight champion Anderson Silva due to a shoulder injury, says he is recovering faster than expected from surgery that was to sideline him until the end of the year and plans to return “very soon.”

UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will defend his title on April 10 at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, UFC President Dana White said Friday, but is still awaiting a new opponent after Vitor Belfort was forced to withdraw from their scheduled matchup on Thursday with a shoulder injury.

Belfort has already undergone surgery for a lingering shoulder injury and will resume training in four months for an expected return by year’s end.

A shoulder injury has forced Vitor Belfort to withdraw from his upcoming matchup with middleweight champion Anderson Silva, scheduled for April 10 at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi, UFC President Dana White confirmed to Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole on Thursday. Silva is slated to remain on the pay-per-view card.

- Randy Couture UFC 109 Walkout Shirt
- Frank Trigg UFC 109 Walkout Shirt
- Bobby Lashley Strikeforce Walkout Shirt
- Robbie Lawler Strikeforce Walkout Shirt
- Kimbo Slice TapouT Signature Shirt
- Vitor Belfort RVCA Sword Shirt

For the latest MMA clothing, MMA gear, and MMA shirts, stop by FightTrends.com.

The world’s greatest indoor sporting event goes outdoors on April 10 as the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization lands in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates for the first time. Some of the world’s greatest mixed martial artists will appear on the historic open-air UFC 112 event at the Concert Arena, Ferrari World, Yas Island.

Topped by a double main event, two UFC world titles will be on the line at UFC 112.

A matchup between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and challenger Vitor Belfort is in the works for UFC 112 on April 10 in Abu Dhabi, according to Tatame, which reports that both fighters have contacted an Abu Dhabi gym about training at the facility ahead of the fight.

A middleweight championship bout between title-holder Anderson Silva and challenger Vitor Belfort slated for UFC 109 on February 6 in Las Vegas has been scratched from the card, according to MMAjunkie.

The matchup, originally targeted for January’s UFC 108, has been postponed again due to Silva’s slow recovery from elbow surgery, with “The Spider” now expected to be able to return to action in April.

The already postponed middleweight title bout between Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort has a new target date. The matchup is now targeted to headline the February 6 UFC 109 card.

Injuries to middleweight champion Anderson Silva and welterweight title-holder Georges St-Pierre could alter the UFC’s plans for early-2010, as both fighters may be sidelined longer than expected.

Silva’s recovery from recent elbow surgery could delay his title defense against Vitor Belfort rumored for UFC 108 in January, while St-Pierre may be unable to return until March.

“I believe Anderson would destroy Belfort.I think it’s a very interesting fight. Belfort has good boxing skills and is a good athlete, but everybody knows that he has a weak psychological aspect and I think he will shake when he gets in the Octagon with (Silva).
Of course [Belfort and I] will fight. I want this [...]

UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will return to the Octagon to take on Vitor Belfort at UFC 108 on January 2 in Las Vegas, according to the LA Times, which confirmed with UFC President Dana White that both fighters have verbally agreed to the co-headlining matchup.

Episode 3

The rest of the videos are in the main article.

Vitor Belfort, Rick Story and Brian Foster each earned $65,000 “fight night” bonuses at Saturday’s UFC 103 event at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, UFC President Dana White announced at the post-fight press conference.

In the UFC 103 headlining bout between former UFC champions Rich Franklin and Vitor Belfort, Belfort made good on his return to the UFC. The Brazilian rocked Franklin with a right, then dropped him with a left before forcing Yves Lavigne to call a stop to the contest with more punches to the downed [...]