Belfort earned his title shot with a knockout of former middleweight champion Rich Franklin in a September catch weight bout, which also marked his return to the promotion.

Silva last defended his middleweight belt against Thales Leites at UFC 97 last April. His last fight, however, was an August first round destruction of Forrest Griffin in a light heavyweight bout.

Pictured: Vitor Belfort

While heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and challenger Shane Carwin are expected to be recovered from their recent bouts with the flu to headline UFC 108 on January 2, Silva’s title defense against Vitor Belfort that had been scheduled for the card is in doubt as Silva continues to recover from recent elbow surgery.

St-Pierre, who’s been sidelined since a July title defense over Thiago Alves, was expected to headline a February UFC card, likely UFC 109 on February 6, but may be unable to return to the Octagon until March, according to Yahoo! Sports, though the Silva-Belfort matchup could be tapped to fill the main event.

An opponent has not yet been determined for St-Pierre’s next fight, though the winner of a UFC 105 matchup between Mike Swick and Dan Hardy is the likely front-runner.

For the latest UFC news and UFC rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com

“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 fight too much. I believe the first one didn’t happen as I wanted. I was surprised, and it will not happen again now because I’m much more experienced. I’m not saying it will be now or later, but when it happens, I’ll prepare myself a lot to be in my best shape because he is a tough opponent, and I want to give the show everybody expects from me.

[Anderson Silva and I] talked. It was a big misunderstanding and it was solved the way men have to solve any problem: talking face to face. Anderson is a great guy, and we finally put a period on that story.”

Wanderlei Silva talks to Sherdog about the January 2 matchup between middleweight champ Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort at UFC 108, a likely future rematch with Belfort, and mending his relationship with Silva.

Silva (25-4) has gone undefeated since early-2006, winning a record 10-straight UFC fights over the likes of Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson, and Nate Marquardt. “The Spider,” who recently underwent surgery on his elbow, returns to 185-pounds to take on Belfort after moving up to light heavyweight in August, where he recorded a first-round knockout of Forrest Griffin.

Belfort (19-8), the UFC 12 heavyweight tournament winner and former light heavyweight champion, returned to the UFC earlier this month with a first-round knockout of Rich Franklin at UFC 103. “The Phenom” has now won five-straight, including previous back-to-back knockouts of Terry Martin and Matt Lindland in Affliction.

UFC 108, the UFC’s traditional year-end show which airs live on pay-per-view, is also expected to include a matchup between former light heavyweight champ Rashad Evans and Thiago Silva.

For the latest UFC 108 news and UFC 108 rumors stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

UFC 103 headliner, and former UFC champion Vitor Belfort earned “Knockout of the Night” with is first round knock out of Rich Franklin. Belfort’s knock out of Franklin edged out several other finishes to earn the award including Tyson Griffin’s stunning knockout of Hermes Franca, and Josh Koscheck’s knock out of Frank Trigg.

Rick Story and Brian Foster earned “Fight of the Night” honors for their bout which ended a string of lackluster fights on the event’s undercard, and re-energized the crowd. The two fighters went to war in the first round, both standing and on the ground, before Story submitted Foster early in the second. Story also received “Submission of the Night” for his arm triangle finish of Brian Foster.

Click here for more UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort Coverage.

In the evening’s co-main event Junior dos Santos battered the legend Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic through out the first two rounds of the fight. Filipovic looked his best in the first round of the fight, but as the fight wore on dos Santos took over. In the third round, it was more of the same, and eventually dos Santos forced Filipovic verbally submit after landing a combination of knees and punches to his head.

UFC debutant Paul Daley made good on his debut, upsetting UFC veteran Martin Kampmann with a first round TKO. With the TKO loss for Kampann, any title hopes he had coming into the bout have been spoiled. Daley’s victory over Kampmann gives him a strong injection into the UFC’s welterweight division.

In Frank Trigg’s return to the UFC, Josh Koscheck played spoiler and ended his night in the first round with a series of strikes, beginning on the feet, and then finishing him on the ground.

Both bouts on the SpikeTV televised portion of the card ended early. In the first bout Drew McFedries did not look his usual self, and eventually succumbed to a rear naked choke at 1:03 of the second round. In the second of the scheduled SpikeTV bouts, Efrain Escudero ended Cole Miller’s night early, with a first round technical knock out, 3:30 in.

The official results for UFC 103 were:

• Vitor Belfort def. Rich Franklin via KO — 3:02 Round 1
• Junior Dos Santos def. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic via verbal submission (strikes) — 2:00 Round 3
• Paul Daley def. Martin Kampmann via TKO — 2:31 Round 1
• Josh Koscheck def. Frank Trigg via TKO — 1:25 Round 1
• Tyson Griffin def. Hermes Franca via KO — 3:26 Round 2
• Efrain Escudero def. Cole Miller via TKO — 3:36 Round 1
• Tomasz Drwal def. Drew McFedries via submission (rear naked choke) — 1:03 Round 2
• Jim Miller def. Steve Lopez via TKO (shoulder injury) — 0:48 Round 2
• Nick Lentz def. Rafaello Oliveira via unanimous decision — 29-28 (2x), 30-27
• Rick Story def. Brian Foster via submission (arm triangle) — 1:09 Round 2
• Eliot Marshall def. Jason Brilz via split decision — 30-27 (2x), 27-30
• Vladimir Matyushenko def. Igor Pokrajac via unanimous decision — all three judges scored the bout 30-27
• Rafael dos Anjos def. Rob Emerson via unanimous decision — all three judges scored the bout 30-27

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)
Vitor Belfort vs. Rich Franklin Prediction:
Belfort def. Rich Franklin via (T)KO — Round 2
I personally will be pulling for Rich Franklin to pick up another victory in this bout, as I’m sure many other fans will be as well. However, Vitor Belfort has been on a role lately and has devastating power in his speedy hands. If Franklin can avoid Belfort’s power, he has a chance at pulling this victory out with a decision, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. I think Belfort is going to be too quick and too strong for Franklin, and will pull off the TKO in the second round. Franklin will be smart, and careful enough to avoid Belfort’s power for a while, but eventually he will be too slow getting out of the way of Belfort’s hands and will get caught.

Junior Dos Santos vs. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic Prediction:
Junior dos Santos def. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic via (T)KO — Round 1
Like the last bout, I will likely be pulling for the fighter I see as the underdog, Cro Cop is a legend, and I really want him to do well this time around in the UFC. Cro Cop is a top level striker, and has knocked out some of the best fighters in the world, but in recent years he seems to have lost some of his speed and power. Junior dos Santos is a hungry young fighter, with dynamite in his hands, and impressive speed. Cro Cop’s ability to avoid damage recently has been suspect in m opinion, and I think that dos Santos will overwhelm him early and not let up, putting him down in the first round.

Martin Kampmann vs. Paul Daley Prediction:
Martin Kampmann def. Paul Daley via submission — Round 1
Paul Daley is making his UFC debut filling in for Mike Swick on short notice, though he was already slated to fight on the card. Kampmann is a top level fighter, who boasts heavy hands and a strong ground game. Daley is an outstanding stand up fighter, with knock out power, but Kampmann is no slouch in the striking department. The difference in this fight will likely be Daley’s relative lack of a ground game. I expect Kampmann to take Daley down early and ground and pound his way beyond Daley’s submission defense, and eventually lock in a fight ending submission.

Josh Koscheck vs. Frank Trigg Prediction:
Frank Trigg def. Josh Koscheck via unanimous decision
I think that Trigg and Koscheck are similar fighters, and I think that Trigg’s experience will pay dividends in this fight. Both fighters have good hands, and good wrestling and this fight could take place anywhere. Though both fighters are capable of ending fights, I don’t see it happening in this one, especially since I’m predicting Trigg for the win and his last few have come via decision. I will admit that I’m partly selected with my heart and not my head on this one, I just really like watching Koscheck lose.

Hermes Franca vs. Tyson Griffin Prediction:
Tyson Griffin def. Hermes Franca via unanimous decision
Tyson Griffin is a top level fighter from Sacramento with a strong wrestling base. He has won multiple “Fight of the Night” honors and will definitely be pushing the action against Hermes Franca tonight. Franca has shown a past weakness against strong wrestlers and I expect more of the same here. I believe Griffin will grind out a decision with crisper striking on the feet, and some quality take downs and top control.

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

Erain Escudero vs. Cole Miller Prediction:
Cole Miller def. Efrain Escudero via submission — Round 2
Escudero is a strong wrestler with capable ground and pound, but I think Miller is the more complete fighter and will catch Escudero in the second, possibly set up by rocking him standing.

Tomasz Drwal vs. Drew McFedries Prediction:
Drew McFedries def. Tomasz Drwal via (T)KO — Round 1
This bout will probably be over quick. Both men have won “Knockout of the Night” honors in previous outings, and will likely come out swinging for the fences. In some ways I think the outcome of this fight depends on who connects first, and I think that will be McFedries, who I also believe possesses more power.

PRELIMINARY CARD (Non-Televised)
Predictions:

• Jim Miller def. Steve Lopez via submission — Round 1
• Rafaello Oliveira def. Nick Lentz via split decision
• Rick Story def. Brian Foster via unanimous decision
• Elliot Marshall def. Jason Brilz via submission — Round 2
• Vladimir Matyushenko def. Igor Pokrajac via (T)KO — Round 3
• Rob Emerson def. Rafael dos Anjos via (T)KO — Round 1

KRIS KARKOSKI’s UFC 103 QUICK PREDICTIONS

• Vitor Belfort def. Rich Franklin via (T)KO — Round 2
• Junior Dos Santos def. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic via (T)KO — Round 2
• Martin Kampmann def. Paul Daley via (T)KO — Round 3
• Josh Koscheck def. Frank Trigg via unanimous decision
• Tyson Griffin def. Hermes Franca via unanimous decision
• Cole Miller def. Efrain Escudero via submission — Round 2
• Tomasz Drwal def. Drew McFedries via (T)KO — Round 1
• Jim Miller def. Steve Lopez via unanimous decision
• Rafaello Oliveira def. Nick Lentz via unanimous decision
• Rick Story def. Brian Foster via submission — Round 2
• Jason Brilz def. Eliot Marshall via (T)KO — Round 3
• Vladimir Matyushenko def. Igor Pokrajac via unanimous decision
• Rob Emerson def. Rafael dos Anjos via (T)KO — Round 2

FR702’s UFC 103 PREDICTIONS

• Rich Franklin def. Vitor Belfort via unanimous decision
  I honestly believe that Rich will win this via UD, and stay just a step ahead of Vitor… Belfort isn’t going to run straight out and attack wildly but for some reason I just see Rich being the victor in this bout… Watchout for the left Rich because if you get touched you might go down…
• Junior dos Santos def. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic via (T)KO — round 1
  As much as I personally want to see the Left High Kick ko from Cro Cop, I have to admit that I see dos Santos winning this bout in first via (t)ko.
• Martin Kampmann def. Paul Daley via submission — Round 2
  Paul Daley stepping up and face a very tough guy on short notice, I was seriously looking forward to seeing Swick v Kampmann but hey this will do. No doubt that Daley holds power, and really needs to work on his ground technique I just see Martin overwhelming him with speed and takedowns and Kampmann wins this via submission in round 2. I see this fight being very similar to Kampmann v McFedries.
• Josh Koscheck def. Frank Trigg via unanimous decision
  Welcome back Trigg, for your first fight you have to face a guy that is just as good as you in wrestling someone who has better submission technique than you do and perhaps has faster more powerful hands. Plus you dissed me and Eric at the Loews in Philly, I do however believe that this fight will go to a decision and it will be unanimous for Koscheck.
• Tyson Griffin def. Hermes Franca via unanimous decision
  I see this being a battle of wills and I can’t bring myself to give Franca the win by any means. Sure he hits hard and has great subs but Griffin can take a punch and we all know that he DOES NOT TAP. Franca has his own issues with strong wrestlers, so in this fight I’m going with Griffin via unanimous decision.
• Cole Miller def. Efrain Escudero via unanimous decision
• Drew McFedries def. Tomasz Drawl via unanimous decision
• Jim Miller def. Steve Lopez via (T)KO — round 2
• Rafaello Oliveira def. Nick Lentz via submission — Round 2
• Brian Foster def. Rick Story via unanimous decision
• Elliot Marshall def. Jason Brilz via submission — Round 2
• Vladimir Matyushenko def. Igo Pokrajac via (T)KO — Round 2
• Rafael dos Anjos def. Rob Emerson via unanimous decision

Spike TV-televised combatant Efrain Escudero failed to make weight on his first attempt, weighing in at 157 pounds, one pound over the the non-title lightweight limit of 156. He, like Belfort, was given time to shed the extra weight and did so, weighing in at 156 pounds on a subsequent attempt.

The rest of the fighters on the 13-bout card, including main card fighters Josh Koscheck and Frank Trigg, successfully made weight on their first attempts for the Spike and pay-per-view televised event.

The official weigh-in results for UFC 103 were:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view)

• Vitor Belfort (196) vs. Rich Franklin (195)
• Junior Dos Santos (236) vs. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (226)
• Martin Kampmann (169.5) vs. Paul Daley (170)
• Josh Koscheck (170) vs. Frank Trigg (170.25)
• Hermes Franca (159) vs. Tyson Griffin (155.5)^

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

• Efrain Escudero (156) vs. Cole Miller (155)
• Tomasz Drwal (185) vs. Drew McFedries (185.25)

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Steve Lopez (154.5) vs. Jim Miller (154.5)
• Nick Lentz (155) vs. Rafaello Oliveira (155.25)
• Brian Foster (170.75) vs. Rick Story (170)
• Jason Brilz (205.25) vs. Elliot Marshall (204.75)
• Vladimir Matyushenko (205) vs. Igor Pokrajac (203)
• Rafael dos Anjos (155.5) vs. Rob Emerson (155.5)

*Belfort and Escudero each weighed-in over the limit for their bouts and have been given additional time to lose the additional weight.
^ These fighters agreed prior to the weigh-ins to meet at a catchweight of 159 pounds.

Stop back tomorrow for live UFC 103 coverage, as well as MMAFrenzy.com’s fight night recap and post-event news.

Click here for more UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort Coverage.