Things are quiet on the middleweight front—perhaps a little too quiet. The eye of the storm hangs overhead, with distant rumbles of thunder periodically interrupting the spacious moments of silence.
Warm sunshine and endless skies of blue serve as a momentary utopia from the inevitable storm surging ahead.
Vitor Belfort, an ageless lion, has sat quietly in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to turn back time. It has been more than a decade since he last hoisted UFC gold. On Saturday night, his legendary career will come full-circle when he steps into the cage with the new lion, undefeated middleweight champion Chris Weidman.