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Belcher Wants Promotional Push from UFC

Listen to Alan Belcher's complete radio interview.


Alan Belcher has won six of his last eight fights in the UFC and holds victories against former title contender Patrick Cote, 2006 Pride Fighting Championships welterweight grand prix finalist Denis Kang, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 runner-up Ed Herman and reigning Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago.

The Jonesboro, Ark., native wants a bigger piece of the UFC middleweight action and has begun to press those who pull the strings for a more prominent role in the division. Following his submission victory over Cote at UFC 113, Belcher openly requested a crack at UFC middleweight king Anderson Silva.

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“[UFC President] Dana White is more interested in it,” Belcher told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Savage Dog Show” on Friday. “I don’t know what [UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva’s deal is. Through my career, I’ve pushed for certain fights, and I don’t know if it’s Joe’s personality or what, but I think he’s not an Alan Belcher fan.”

While a blockbuster bout has eluded Belcher during his 11-fight run in the UFC, he recognizes the value in staying patient and waiting his turn.

“They haven’t brought me in to lose any fights,” Belcher said. “They haven’t tried to set me up or anything. [Joe Silva is] cool and everything; it’s just … I don’t know. It seems like I’m sitting there screaming: ‘The fans want to see me fight big fights.’ I’ve got a big following, and I’ve got not just a flashy style; I have an explosive striking style. The fans want to see it, but he’s not hearing it, man. It doesn’t matter. As time goes by and I keep winning fights, they have to give me the big fights.”

The mother of all matchups -- a date with Silva -- remains out of reach for now. The embattled Brazilian will fight Chael Sonnen in the UFC 117 main event in August. Still, options remain for Belcher, who said he would welcome a shot at Vitor Belfort.

File Photo: Sherdog.com

Belcher wants the 185-pound king.
“I’m down,” Belcher said. “I’d love that fight. Vitor Belfort’s a legend. I haven’t fought anyone with that kind of name yet. It’d be an awesome fight for me. It’d definitely tell us who the next number one contender is.”

Belfort -- who defeated Rich Franklin in September -- was positioned to meet Silva at UFC 112 in April, but an injury forced him to withdraw and opened the door for Demian Maia. Many have since wondered what the immediate future holds for Belfort once he returns. Will he get the showdown with Silva he was originally promised?

“I think it may be something with Belfort’s contract,” Belcher said. “Probably said if he beats Rich Franklin, he gets a title shot or something. It’s probably something like that, because have you ever heard of someone getting a title shot after someone else gets a title shot? Chael gets this, [and] then after he loses, Vitor gets the next one? I never heard of that before.”

Belfort’s lone victory since returning to the UFC was at a catchweight, and his position in the middleweight division leaves Belcher yearning for more clarity.

“It’s all a mess, man,” Belcher said. “All the best guys in our division have all been losing. It’s just weird. The ranking system in the middleweight division … it’s all jumbled up. You’ve got Belfort trying to get better. It just sucks, man. I just wish there was a little bit more of a clear path to know who I [have] got to beat to get where I want to go. Even if I’ve got to fight two or three more fights, I wish there was just an easier way of ranking us and moving us along that way.”

Most importantly, Belcher wants to see his career furthered.

“What do I have to do to get on a poster? What do I have to do to get on a ‘Primetime’ show or when Spike TV comes to your school and stuff?” Belcher asked. “I need to put a lot of work into this, and I feel like I’m on top of the game and there [are] a lot of fans out there that haven’t gotten the opportunity to know who I am yet. I just feel like I should be pushed a little bit more, and I feel like I should be making more money.”

Even at 26, Belcher can hear the clock ticking.

“The part of my career where I’m at right now I just feel like I’m one of the top guys,” he said. “I just want to get the reward from it, and I don’t want to miss out on it. And if it’s going to take more work or more wins or whatever, that’s cool. I don’t want to be here two or three fights from now in the same situation.”
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