Vitor Belfort’s war of words with Chael Sonnen shows he is crazy like a fox

After beating Michael Bisping in a middleweight bout at UFC on FX 7, Vitor Belfort said he wanted a shot at the UFC light heavyweight belt. He called Chael Sonnen a clown, and asked for a "champion vs. champion" shot at Jon Jones.

He continued during the UFC postfight show on Fuel.

“[Sonnen] is a clown. Get out. Get out of the way. He just got knocked out pretty bad by Anderson Silva then he fights Jon Jones. He doesn’t deserve the reality show. Let me fight - real champion versus real champion. I know he’s a good athlete, but he needs to go to the back of the line. Let me fight the rematch.”

Belfort fought Jones in September and lost by submission. Sonnen will fight Jones in April after the conclusion of "The Ultimate Fighter." They will coach against each other on the show. Sonnen, a commentator on the postfight show, immediately responded.

“Let me be really clear and speak directly to you Vitor. You have been telling the world that you want to meet Jesus and I will gladly arrange that travel, but first I am going to get rid of Jon Jones, then you are next. Vitor, I accept. Don’t make any mistake about that. You have called me out twice now,” Sonnen said.

Their war of words continued on Twitter.

Belfort's vitriol at Sonnen seemed so out of place. Belfort is a middleweight, and if he's looking for another shot at the light heavyweight title, perhaps he should look for a middleweight fight first?

But what Belfort did do was set himself up perfectly for an injury replacement if Sonnen or Jones were to suffer one. This has happened in three of the last four seasons of TUF, so it's not a bad idea on Belfort's part. Considering Sonnen got their light heavyweight title shot after fighting at middleweight for years, and Nick Diaz got one after a suspension and a loss, there's not much rhyme or reason to the UFC's title match making these days. Belfort is making a smart play based on recent history.