"Alan Belcher is a guy we've had our eye on for a long time. The guy gets better every time he gets in there and fights. He went in there against a tough guy like Patrick Cote. I have a lot of respect for Cote. He hit Belcher with a couple big shots and Belcher weathered the early storm and pulled out the victory. I don't disagree with him - I think Belcher is positioning himself for some good things in the future. The thing I like about Belcher - this kid comes in very aggressive, doesn't lay around. The body kicks that he hit [Cote] with tonight reminded me of Mirko Cro Cop. You could see the welts on his body as soon as he'd kick him, and you saw that on Cote tonight. Cote ate those kicks like a man and [Belcher] was layin' 'em like a champ. I was very impressed with Belcher tonight. He's in the mix. When he went up there and said he's in the mix with Anderson Silva, and could fight for the 185 lbs. pound, I don't disagree with him at all."  - Dana White at UFC 113 post-fight press conference

Standing in the middle of the Octagon, Alan Belcher called out Anderson Silva, telling fans that he is ready to face the middleweight champion.

For UFC 113, Belcher was paired up against the heavy-hitting Canadian Patrick Cote, who was coming off of a nearly-19-month injury lay off. Cote had last fought Silva in late 2008, but suffered a bad knee injury during the title bout.

Now, after defeating Cote, Belcher believes that he has primed himself for a future shot at the title. UFC President Dana White has stated that Chael Sonnen will get the next title fight against Silva at UFC 117, and Vitor Belfort will fight the then-champion. After his UFC 113 performance, White might give Belcher an opportunity at the title if he continues to impress over the next year.

Belcher holds a 16-6 record - 7-4 with the UFC - and has defeated Wilson Gouveia, Denis Kang and Ed Herman in the process. He has twice earned "Submission of the Night" honors and twice earned "Fight of the Night" honors. While his next opponent has not been named, Belcher will be looking to keep adding to his list of victories.