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Report: Belfort vs. Machida targeted for UFC 224

Jason da Silva / USA TODAY Sports

The last fight on Vitor Belfort's UFC contract may go down in familiar territory.

A middleweight bout between Belfort and fellow Brazilian Lyoto Machida is in the works for UFC 224 on May 12 at Rio de Janeiro's Jeunesse Arena, sources told MMA Fighting's Guilherme Cruz on Friday.

The 40-year-old Belfort had designs on retiring with a dance opposite Uriah Hall at UFC Fight Night 124 last month, only for Hall to suffer a health scare at the 11th hour - thereby putting the kibosh on the bout. Belfort last took the cage in his hometown in June at UFC 212, where he snapped a three-fight skid with a unanimous decision over Nate Marquardt.

Machida recently snapped an equally miserable slump of his own, edging Eryk Anders in a split verdict at UFC Fight Night 125 in his native Belem earlier this month. The 39-year-old called out former middleweight champ Michael Bisping immediately after getting back in the win column, but appears to have settled on another promotional fixture instead.

A main event has not yet been attached to the May bill.

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