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UFC champion Chris Weidman could fight Vitor Belfort next

Chris Weidman, left, improved to 12-0 when he defeated Lyoto Machida by unanimous decision in a middleweight title bout July 5.
(John Locher / Associated Press)
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UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman said he’ll probably fight again on the same card with Ronda Rousey in December after surviving a unanimous-decision victory over former light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida on Saturday.

Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White said Vitor Belfort is the most likely next opponent for Weidman “if he gets his business together.”

White was referring to Belfort’s inability to claim therapeutic-use exemptions for performance-enhancing substances.

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Weidman (12-0) survived a compelling fourth round against Machida, when the champion was battered by strikes after having won the first three rounds.

“They kept telling me, ‘That’s another one in the book, that’s three in the book,’” Weidman said of his corner, “but I said, ‘I don’t believe you,’ I’ve got to keep moving forward, keep working, because I’ve seen a lot of decisions go the wrong way. I tried to stay focused on trying to break him.”

Rousey, the women’s bantamweight champion, ran her record to 10-0 with a 16-second, technical-knockout victory over Alexis Davis in the semi-main event Saturday.

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