Two veterans of mixed martial arts (MMA), Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson, are set to go toe-to-toe in the main event of UFC Fight Night 77 at the Ginásio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Saturday, 7 November, in a middleweight fight.
Anyone familiar with the combat sport will know what the duo has given the UFC over the years in terms of entertainment, passion, and MMA fights of the highest level. While Belfort has been a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Henderson was the last Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, as well as the last Welterweight and Middleweight Champion in the Pride Fighting Championships.
Both decorated MMA fighters have fought in the middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight divisions in the UFC.
Their rivalry stretches over almost a decade, and their third meeting in the octagon on Saturday is expected to be the be-all and end-all. The duo first met in 2006 in the octagon at Pride 32, and Henderson had won that fight via a unanimous decision.
Their second bout took place in 2013 at UFC Fight Night 32, and Belfort showed his elegance in the octagon this time to knockout the American in the first round of the fight to record a KO victory. And now, this chapter is expected to end tonight in Brazil in the five-round bout, where the crowd are expected to be behind their man Vitor Belfort.
Check out their official weigh-in ahead of the fight:
Henderson is 45 now, while his opponent is 38 years old. Age is set to be a factor, and young bloods could miss the pace with which the two fought a decade ago. Having said that, this fight is more than about age, as it has taken almost a decade to arrive at this point.
"I'm definitely a better fighter now," Henderson has told MMA Fighting. "Obviously I'm a little bit older as well, and I'm sure certain things are a little slower, but for the most part I'm a much better fighter than I was then. I feel that I'm still just as powerful and dangerous as I was then."
In the official weigh-in, Belfort weighed in at 185 lbs, while Henderson weighed in at a pound more.
Where to watch live
UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs Henderson 3 airs LIVE on Fox Sports 1 at 10pm ET / 7pm PT (7:30 am IST, 3 am BST) with live coverage in India on Sony KIX.
Four prelim bouts will be aired live on FOX Sports 1 in the US at 8pm ET / 5pm PT. Online streaming of the prelim bouts and the main card is available on Fox Sports Go.
Viewers in the UK can catch the pay-per-view live on BT Sport 2.
The fights are also available in the official UFC android and iOS mobile app.
