Silva vs. Belfort, Swick vs. Hardy

Reports emerged this week that the UFC was working to make fights in the coming months involving some of the biggest forces at middleweight and welterweight.

Anderson Silva has verbally agreed to defend his 185-pound strap against Vitor Belfort at UFC 108 on Jan. 2 in Las Vegas, UFC President Dana White told The Los Angeles Times. The card will be the annual year-end pay-per-view the UFC tries to stack with marquee bouts. This year’s card is taking place in 2010 because the last Saturday of the year is the day after Christmas. Silva will undergo elbow surgery to repair a bone spur before the fight. Belfort confirmed he signed for the fight in interviews, but Silva’s camp has not.

Dan Henderson, who was campaigning for the title shot, told Sherdog.com that negotiations on a new UFC contract are not going well. He said he is seeking an increase in pay, though would not name specifics, and was floating the possibility he would look to Strikeforce or Japan if a UFC deal couldn’t be reached. Henderson defeated Belfort in 2006.

The UFC was working on another fight with title implications this week. Mike Swick, who pulled out of a No. 1 contender bout with Martin Kampmann at UFC 103 on Sept. 19 due to a concussion, is being paired with Dan Hardy at UFC 105 on Nov. 14 in Manchester, England. Hardy was originally set to face Dong Hyun Kim, who also fell to recent injury. MMAFanhouse.com reported the fight will still determine the next challenger for Georges St. Pierre.