UFC: White says Weidman/Belfort to happen on either the Memorial Day or July 4th card

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

In all likelihood, the biggest match the UFC will put on this year will be the one between current Middleweight champ, Chris Weidman and Number 1 contender, Vitor Belfort. The bout, set to take place in Las Vegas, already has the media machine running at full speed, especially with Belfort’s announcement that he will indeed be pursuing a TUE.

Weidman, who has been medically cleared to return to action, is chomping at the bit to get the ball rolling, according to an interview with Dana White from FOX Sports earlier today,

Weidman’s pushing for it to be earlier because he wants to have a normal summer with his family. He hasn’t had a normal summer in a while so we’re going to try to accommodate that.

We’re looking at it might end up being July 4th, we’re still working on it. It could be Fourth of July. It could be (Memorial Day), it’s going to be one of those.

The fight has all the markings of a PPV windfall, and with the exit of GSP, as well as Anderson Silva being on the injured list, it could be final push that will turn Weidman into a bona fide superstar. For those of you that have been anxious about the timing of this fight, at least it’s been narrowed down to just two weekend possibilities. Now would be a good time to start priming your employers for some vacation time.

Here’s Luke Thomas of MMA Fighting commenting on Belfort’s desire to use testosterone replacement therapy for his bout against Weidman:

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About the author

Stephie Haynes

Stephie Haynes has been covering MMA since 2005. She has also worked for MMA promotion Proelite and apparel brand TapouT. She hosted TapouT’s official radio show for four years before joining Bloody Elbow in 2012. She has interviewed everyone there is to interview in the fight game from from Dana White to Conor McGregor to Kimbo Slice, as well as mainstream TV, film and music stars including Norman Reedus, RZA and Anthony Bourdain. She has been producing the BE podcast network since 2017 and hosts four of its current shows.