UFC middleweight, Alan “the Talent” Belcher, is ready for higher profile fights. After defeating Patrick Cote at UFC 113, Belcher believes he has proven his worth within the 185 pound division. That said, the organization hasn’t been quick to offer “the Talent” a chance to move up the ladder.

“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. They haven’t brought me in to lose any fights. 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.”

During his post fight interview following his victory over Cote, Belcher made it known that he had eyes on taking the belt away from Anderson Silva. With the champ already scheduled to battle Chael Sonnen at UFC 117, Belcher will have to wait his turn. As Nate Marquardt and others have signed contracts for future bouts, the 26-year-old finds himself on the outside looking in. Nevertheless, the stars are aligning for a possible fight with a competitor that fans have been anxiously waiting to return: Vitor “the Phenom” Belfort.

Although a definitive timetable for the Brazilian hasn’t been set, the circumstances could be right for Belcher to get the opportunity to welcome Belfort to the UFC middleweight division.

“I’m down. 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.”

There has been some speculation on whether or not Belfort will be given an immediate title shot upon his return. He was set to face Silva before injuries forced him to take a hiatus. The UFC has not revealed their plans, but Belcher would find it peculiar if “the Phenom” jumped right into a championship bout.

“I think it may be something with Belfort’s contract. 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.”

Increasingly frustrated, Belcher is critical of the UFC’s lack of a structured ranking system.

“It’s all a mess, man. 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.”

Feeling like he’s in his physical prime, Belcher wants his chance to be properly promoted by the UFC. In order to do so, he’ll have to face stiffer competition and thus far the organization has opted not to give it to him.

“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? 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. The part of my career where I’m at right now I just feel like I’m one of the top guys. 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.”

(Source: Sherdog)