Belfort wants CM Punk at 205 pounds in last fight
Vitor Belfort has tied a name to his final fight, but it's a far cry from the destroyers he's accustomed to facing.
Since Kelvin Gastelum handed him his third straight loss at UFC Fight Night 106 last week, "The Phenom" has been lobbying for his swan song to take place June 3 at UFC 212 in his native Rio de Janeiro. The 39-year-old has fought seven of his last eight bouts at middleweight, but intends to move back up to 205 pounds in his last hurrah, preferably against pro wrestler-turned-mixed martial artist CM Punk.
"I'm going to talk to them (the UFC), but I want this fight at 205 pounds," Belfort recently told AG Fight. "I would love to do this fight in this category."
"It would have to be an interesting fighter, but not a top fighter," he added. "I've been fighting good guys before: Dan Henderson, (Chris) Weidman, Dan Henderson, 'Jacare' (Souza), (Gegard) Mousasi, and now Kelvin (Gastelum). These are all hard fights, so if you can book a smoother fight. ... What's the name of that guy from WWE? CM Punk would be a good fight. CM Punk, let's get it on. That would be a really good fight."
Whether Belfort's serious or having a laugh at Punk's expense is uncertain, but the callout remains a head-scratcher, as Punk is painfully green, and lasted just two minutes and change in his MMA debut opposite Mickey Gall at UFC 203. Making Belfort's choice even more puzzling is his resume, which is that of a UFC Hall of Famer, as well as Punk's debut being contested at 170 pounds.
The 38-year-old Punk claims to have been "feverishly" angling for another date in the Octagon, but the UFC has kept mum on the former WWE superstar's future.
- With h/t to FloCombat