Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort to headline UFC 173

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Chris Weidman will make his first title defense following his two-fight series with Anderson Silva against Vitor Belfort, and their much anticipated fight now has a set date.

Weidman (11-0, 7-0 UFC) will defend the UFC Middleweight Championship against top contender Belfort (24-10, 13-6 UFC) at UFC 173 on Memorial Day Weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada. Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com first reported the official confirmation of the bout after speaking to UFC officials.

Weidman won the championship by knocking out Anderson Silva at UFC 162 in July in a stunning upset. He successfully defended it against Silva in a rematch at UFC 168 in December when Silva broke his leg during the second round. Despite the injury, Weidman was in control of the fight and will be looking to defend the title against someone not named Silva. Weidman has won all eleven of his professional fights.

Belfort is on a hot streak that saw him score three first-round knockouts in 2013 over Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson. Belfort is 5-1 over his last six fights, and he has won his last four fights that were contested in the middleweight division. He is looking to become the third man to win championships in two UFC weight divisions yet again after losing to Silva in a UFC Middleweight Championship bout at UFC 126 in February 2011.

The biggest hurdle going into the fight will be whether Belfort will be approved for a therapeutic use exemption for testosterone replacement therapy. Belfort failed a drug test in Nevada in 2006, but he has been approved for a TUE in his most recent fights, though all three of his 2013 bouts came in Brazil.

UFC 173 takes place on May 24 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ryan Frederick has been a diehard mixed martial arts fan since he saw UFC 1 at the age of 7. Since then he has yet to miss a show. He also has loves for football, baseball and fine whiskey. He fell in love with covering MMA after having also covered baseball and football, both professional and college, while working towards a journalism degree at Texas Christian University. His work has been seen on FOXSports.com, InsideFights.com, WrestlingObserver.com, Bleacher Report and ToughTalkMMA.com.