Former UFC middleweight title challenger Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort will welcome Anthony “Rumble” Johnson to the 185-pound ranks when the two face off at UFC 142 on January 14, 2012. The bout was announced today and is expected to take place at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Belfort had originally planned to face former Strikeforce fan favourite Cung Le at UFC 139, but was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury. He has won six of his last seven, with the lone defeat coming against champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva. Johnson has won five of his last six fights.

Belfort (20-9-0) has won two of his three Octagon appearances since returning to the UFC in 2009 after a five-year hiatus. The one-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion challenged unsuccessfully for Silva’s middleweight crown at UFC 126 in February, but rebounded with a first-round destruction of Japanese star Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133. Belfort has knocked out 14 of his opponents to date and will meet a fellow striker when he takes on Johnson next year.

Johnson (10-3-0) has struggled on multiple occasions to make the 170-pound welterweight limit and will now make the move up to middleweight after back-to-back wins this year. Much like Belfort, Johnson is a proven finisher and holds seven knockout victories. He most recently stopped Charlie “The Spaniard” Brenneman with a head kick last month and could be well-served by using his reach in order to keep out of range of Belfort’s powerful punches.

UFC 142 is expected to take place on January 14, 2012 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event features a UFC Featherweight Championship bout between current champion José “Scarface” Aldo and undefeated challenger Chad “Money” Mendes.

(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)