When fans last saw UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva in the Octagon, he was snatching victory from certain defeat against a game Chael Sonnen at UFC 117.
Silva will defend his title for the eighth time when he takes on former light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort in the UFC 126 main event this Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
Many view Belfort as Silva’s most difficult style matchup to date. A powerful boxer with blinding hand speed, Belfort may be the only man in the division capable of standing with the longtime champion. However, when asked if he was feeling any added pressure for the bout during a Jan. 27 pre-fight teleconference, Silva calmly assured everyone he was doing just fine.
“I just checked my blood pressure, and everything is normal,” said a chuckling Silva. “I’ve made a few adjustments, but I’ve been on pretty much the same track. I’ve been maintaining what I always do. It’s a very intense training camp. Of course, I’m always working to improve. I’ve kept the intensity throughout [my camp], and I’m going to go out there and do what I have trained to do.”
A dominant striker with laser-like accuracy in his punches and kicks, Silva is still considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. The Black House product has put together a truly memorable run since joining the UFC in 2006, rattling off a record 12 consecutive victories inside the Octagon. In his last defense, however, the champion looked to be all but done for. Competing with an injury, Silva was taken down repeatedly and battered by Sonnen for nearly five full rounds before securing a fight-ending triangle choke to save his title and keep his streak alive.
“[Silva] had a bruised rib, which happened a week before fight. The doctor recommended that he pull out, but Anderson said the show must go on and fought through the injury,” said Silva’s manager and translator, Ed Soares. “He took a good six to eight weeks off to let it heal before he started training regularly again. If you’ve ever injured a rib, you know how hard it is to breathe. It’s very painful.”
During Silva’s dominant run with the promotion, he has also competed outside of the middleweight division, finding great success at 205 pounds. With a rumored super fight with welterweight king and fellow pound-for-pound luminary Georges St. Pierre labeled a possibility by UFC President Dana White, Silva further hinted at his openness to competing outside his division.
“There are a lot of challenges in every weight category in the UFC, not just in the middleweight division,” he said. “I’m doing what I’m doing because I love doing it. I am well-trained. I’ve been doing this since I was a kid. I feel very natural.”
In that vein, Silva claims that all the benefits that come with being a UFC champion are not what motivate him to compete. Rather, the champion’s drive comes from his closest relationships.
“I’m not doing this for the fame, the money or the belt. I’m doing it because I’m happy to have the people around me that I have. I believe the people close to me are not close to me because of the fame or money,” said Silva. “They are with me because they care about me, and that makes me happy to go put on a good performance.”
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