The long-rumored middleweight clash between Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort is now a reality, UFC's Brazil page reported on Friday.

Belfort recently stepped up to the plate to challenge UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones at UFC 152 in September, but was soundly defeated after giving “Bones” a scare with an armbar early in the first round.

“The Phenom” already challenged current middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 126 in Feb. 2011, suffering a highlight reel knockout in the first round.

However, he rattled off two stoppage victories over Yoshihiro Akiyama and Anthony Johnson at middleweight before getting submitted by Jones.

Meanwhile, Bisping, a perennial contender at 185-pounds, is still waiting for his first shot at UFC gold. “The Count” rebounded from a razor-thin decision loss to Chael Sonnen at UFC on FOX 2 by convincingly outstriking Brian Stann at UFC 152.

Prior to the loss to Sonnen, Bisping had rattled off four straight wins at middleweight.

Last week, Belfort took to Twitter to let his fans know that he had yet to be offered a fight with “The Count,” but that has obviously since changed.

A win for either fighter could earn them a title shot with Silva in the near future, though a match up with the winner of Chris Weidman vs. Tim Boetsch, which takes place at UFC 155, is also likely.

The UFC is yet to determine the venue for the event, though UFC president Dana White confirmed with MMA Fighting that the card will air on FX.

Bisping vs. Belfort: who proves to be the legitimate contender at middleweight?