Anderson Silva may be facing his most deadly challenge at Middleweight. Vitor Belfort had been named the #1 contender after knocking out Rich Franklin in the first round at UFC 103, but Silva's elbow surgery delayed the official announcement.

Anderson Silva has not lost a round in over 18-months. His last couple of opponents: Forrest Griffin and Thales Leites, have left Silva once again in need of a challenge. Silva supposedly was undergoing surgery for an elbow injury, but his camp and Dana White have given contradicting statements regarding the issue. Since his win over Forrest Griffin, Anderson Silva has dismissed top contenders Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt as worthy challengers to his title. Anderson has also hinted at a possible move to heavyweight. Anderson is in search of an opponent who will bring the fight to him, but he may find that he's in a complete league of his own.

Vitor Belfort has resurrected his career, thanks to win over Franklin and Matt Lindland. Those wins likely did not equal an immediate title shot, but the UFC knows what makes a headlining main event, and Silva vs. Belfort is it. Belfort's still flashes the lightning-fast combinations and knockout power that made him a star back in the late 90's. Belfort's troubles seem to be behind him, and looks the best he has in years. Belfort did struggle to make the 195-pound weight limit in his fight with Franklin, so that needs to be closely monitored, besides weight though, this fight will all come down to Belfort's fragile psyche. If Belfort comes out aggressive and presses the action, he has a chance, but if Belfort sits back and attempts to counter, this fight is over before it even began.