“The Spider” Bites Back – Silva KOs Belfort

LAS VEGAS, February 5 – Vitor Belfort was widely considered to be the most dangerous threat to Anderson Silva’s middleweight title reign. So Silva did what you’re supposed to do to such threats – he eliminated him immediately, knocking out Belfort in the first round to retain his crown for the eighth time Saturday night in the UFC 126 main event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. In the process, Silva broke a tie with Matt Hughes for most successful title defenses in UFC history.

“That’s just one of the tricks I was working on,” said Silva, who, for all intents and purposes, ended the bout with a spectacular front kick to the chin.

The chants of “Vitor, Vitor” came from the rafters as soon as referee Mario Yamasaki called the two fighters to battle, but there would be no initial fireworks, as the two cautiously circled each other for the first 90 seconds until Belfort landed a range-finding leg kick. At the midway point, with still no meaningful action, Silva began showboating, with Belfort finally firing off a 1-2. Moments later, Belfort caught a Silva kick and the two tumbled to the mat. They rose quickly, and Silva, significantly warmed up, eluded a Belfort haymaker and came back with a blistering left front kick to the chin that dropped “The Phenom.”  Quickly moving in, Silva landed a 1-2 on his prone foe, and that was enough for Yamasaki to call a halt to the bout as the 3:25 mark.

“He caught me with a great kick,” said Belfort. “Anderson Silva is a great fighter. I’ll be back.”

With the win, Silva improves to 28-4; Belfort falls to 19-9.

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Silva, Belfort Hit UFC 126 Marks

On the eve of what many consider his most significant challenge, middleweight champion Anderson Silva did his best to intimidate the man who will be standing across the cage from him.

Silva tipped the scales at 185 pounds for his scheduled title defense against Vitor Belfort (185) in the UFC 126 headliner on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The eight other men booked for main card duty -- co-headliners Forrest Griffin (205) and Rich Franklin (203) included -- also met their contracted weight requirements at Friday’s official weigh-in.

Donning a plain white mask, Silva stood nose-to-nose with Belfort after the two left the scales. The two middleweights jawed at one another and had to be separated.

Having thrust himself into the greatest-fighter-of-all-time discussion, Silva will carry a 13-fight winning streak into the match. He last appeared at UFC 117 in August, when he submitted Team Quest’s Chael Sonnen with a fifth-round triangle choke at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. Silva, who turns 36 in April, was behind on the scorecards at the time. A lethal, pinpoint striker and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, he has secured 20 of his 27 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. High-profile wins over Griffin, Franklin (twice), former middleweight King of Pancrase Nate Marquardt, two-time Olympian Dan Henderson and 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships winner Demian Maia anchor Silva’s stellar resume. “The Spider” has never been defeated (12-0) inside the Octagon.

Belfort debuted in the Octagon 14 years ago this month, at the age of 19 and later captured the light heavyweight championship. Enigmatic throughout his career, he has rattled off five consecutive victories, four of them finishes. However, a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery has kept the 33-year-old Carlson Gracie protégé on the sidelines since he stopped Franklin on first-round punches at UFC 103 in September 2009. Blessed with stinging hand speed and power, Belfort has delivered more than half (13) of his 19 career wins by KO or TKO. He owns other notable victories against 2000 Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland, former Pride Fighting Championships middleweight titleholder Wanderlei Silva, UFC hall of famer Randy Couture and one-time Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Bobby Southworth. A win over Silva would make him the third man in history -- Couture and B.J. Penn are the others -- to hold UFC titles in multiple weight classes.

UFC 126 -- which also features a light heavyweight battle pairing Jon Jones (206) with “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 winner Ryan Bader (205), a welterweight tilt pitting the surging Jake Ellenberger (171) against Carlos Eduardo Rocha (170) and a bantamweight duel between former WEC champion Miguel Torres (136) and Antonio Banuelos (136) -- will air live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. PT/7 p.m. PT. An hour prior, Spike TV will carry a pair of bouts from the undercard: Chad Mendes (146) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (146) and Donald Cerrone (155) vs. Paul Kelly (155). In addition, the UFC will stream a bantamweight dark match between Japanese star Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto (135) and Demetrious Johnson (136) on its Facebook page at 8:25 p.m. ET/5:25 p.m. PT.

Anderson Silva (185) vs. Vitor Belfort (185)

Forrest Griffin (205) vs. Rich Franklin (203)
Ryan Bader (205) vs. Jon Jones (206)
Jake Ellenberger (171) vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha (170)
Miguel Torres (136) vs. Antonio Banuelos (136)
Chad Mendes (146) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (146)
Donald Cerrone (155) vs. Paul Kelly (155)
Norifumi Yamamoto (135) vs. Demetrious Johnson (136)
Mike Pierce (*171) vs. Kenny Robertson (170)
Paul Taylor (156) vs. Gabe Ruediger (155)
Kyle Kingsbury (205) vs. Ricardo Romero (205)

* Mike Pierce made weight on his second attempt.

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Belfort: Top Fighters Should Be Willing to Fight Anyone

Vitor Belfort (left) | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Vitor Belfort agrees with UFC President Dana White’s belief that the best fighters should be willing to fight their friends, teammates and countrymen.

Belfort will challenge fellow Brazilian and former training partner Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight title Saturday at UFC 126. Although Silva has been critical of Belfort’s loyalty in the past, Belfort thinks the fight will be worth it.

“This is a sport,” Belfort said recently on Bruce Buffer’s “It’s Time” show on the Sherdog Radio Network. “After this fight, I really think Anderson is going to look back and say, ‘Man, this fight [made history] in the sport.’ We’re proving this is a sport. … I believe after this fight, many fighters many years from now, they’re going to see how it was important that this fight happened for the sport.”

Belfort expects the matchup to influence future generations of mixed martial artists. The message: take on all comers regardless of affiliation.

“Pretty much people are going to start changing their perspective because this is what people want to see,” he said. “People want to see the best fighters fighting the best fighters. It’s hard. I know a lot of people take it personal, but what’s personal? People don’t recognize that. What’s loyalty? Loyalty is you taking care of your family. You being the guy that you preach that you are. Living the words that you say.”

A former UFC light heavyweight champion, Belfort emphasized that his fight with Silva is not about getting another title or even winning. He said it’s about putting on a show.

“In the past it was all about, ‘I cannot lose.’ Now I don’t care,” Belfort said. “I really don’t care what’s going to be the result as long as I … bring the best out of me. I think that’s what Dana’s expecting. ... Win or lose, I’m going to leave the Octagon wanting people to go back home and say, ‘Man, that was the best fight I’ve seen in my life. It was worth it.’”

Certainly both Belfort and Silva have the firepower to put on a classic. Silva is 12-0 in the UFC and one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Belfort hasn’t lost in more than four years. In his September 2009 return to the UFC, “The Phenom” stopped Rich Franklin in 3:02.

“I respect Anderson Silva’s skills a lot, as a person too,” Belfort said. “It’s a competition. It’s going to be a battle. I hope I can leave with a victory. I’m going to fight for that, but I can promise you guys one thing: that I’m not going to back down. I’m going to do my best.”

Listen to the full interview (beginning at :40) with Belfort.

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Vitor Belfort - Better than Yesterday

“I know I can beat him if I’m ready when I step into the Octagon. It’s just a matter of doing what you’re capable of doing, and I think I’m capable to go there and fight and get the win." No matter what happens in the UFC 126 main event on Saturday night in Las Vegas, to many people, 33-year old middleweight challenger Vitor Belfort will always be 19.

He will never shake the mental picture people have of him as the precocious “Phenom”, all flailing fists and devastating speed and power, the likes of which took out Tra Telligman, Scott Ferrozzo, Tank Abbott, and Wanderlei Silva in the early days of the UFC. If you tell him this, he simply chuckles before admitting that he does turn back the clock on his own occasionally.

“I watch them sometimes,” said Belfort of his first UFC bouts. “But I don’t like to see myself on video.”

He doesn’t like to live in the past either. After his 44 second knockout of Silva at Ultimate Brazil in 1998, 20 fights have taken place over the ensuing 12 years. He’s not the same fighter he was back then, and he’s quick to point out that he’s better now, in all aspects of his life.

“I know I’m capable of using my experience now,” he said, making it clear that while the power and speed remains, the reckless part of his personality and fighting style is gone. “It’s part of the job. Sometimes you can score a touchdown, sometimes you can’t. But we always can do better. We have to be a better man, a better athlete, a better father, a better everything every day. We always have to improve.”

Yet sometimes more important than improving is persevering, something Belfort had to do after a horrific stretch from late 2004 through 2006 where he had to deal with the kidnapping of his sister (one of her kidnappers confessed to her murder in 2007) as he lost five of seven bouts. He eventually rebounded, and beginning with his 2007 knockout of Ivan Serati, Belfort went on a five fight winning streak that he will carry into his first UFC title fight since 2004. It’s been a rollercoaster ride to say the least, so when his original bout with Silva at UFC 108 was postponed due to an injury suffered by the champion, Belfort merely shook it off.

“It is what it is, you cannot change the facts,” he said. “I don’t see the bad side, I always try to look at the good side. Here we are again and we’re gonna fight.”

Some would say that this is a reflection of the maturity that comes with being 33, a family man, and someone who has walked through fire and yet emerged intact. Belfort credits his faith.

“Your faith has to kick in every day,” he said. “Our lives are not made by one event. It’s a road, it’s a journey. You have to keep your faith and your discipline every day.”

He will need it all Saturday against one of the most dominant fighters in the history of the sport, a champion with a record number of middleweight title defenses and an unbeaten 12-0 slate in the Octagon. Belfort doesn’t have much to say about Silva, simply cutting it down to “Anderson is a pretty tough fighter. He’s improving every time he steps in the Octagon, and he’s the champion.”

Even when pressed and asked whether he saw Silva slipping at all in a 2010 campaign that saw him lackluster in victory over Demian Maia and forced to dig into his bag of tricks to pull out a last round win over Chael Sonnen, Belfort keeps his cards close to the vest.

“I hope so, but I’m not predicting anything,” he said. “I’m going there to fight and do my best. I’m not going to take anything away from him. I’m gonna go there to fight.”

That humble attitude is in stark contrast to the teenage Belfort. As he told me before his second fight with Randy Couture in 2004, “I was totally out of focus. I wasn’t training, I was thinking I was the greatest and that nobody could beat me.”

Those days are over. Despite a recent change in trainers, with Shawn Tompkins leaving the fold, Belfort remains committed in the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas, focused on the task ahead of him and the opportunity to join Couture and BJ Penn as the only fighters to win UFC world titles in two different weight classes. And many believe that if anyone has the talent to dethrone “The Spider”, it’s Belfort.

“That’s good to hear that people think that,” he said. “I know I can beat him if I’m ready when I step into the Octagon. It’s just a matter of doing what you’re capable of doing, and I think I’m capable to go there and fight and get the win. I’m very confident and I’m gonna try to accomplish this.”

If he does, it will be an exclamation point on a career that had so much promise, then disappointment, and now promise again. But win or lose, Vitor Belfort isn’t done yet; not by a longshot.

“I always live for the future,” he said. “I’m always looking forward to what is next, and what is next is the title. I’m very happy I have this opportunity, and I’m training hard, I’m doing my job, so on February 5th I can put everything I’m doing now in action. I want to leave the Octagon saying that I did everything I could. I know I’m fighting a champion, a guy who’s one of the best, pound for pound, in the world, and I’m prepared to go in there and do my thing. And that’s the point of life. You have to be better than yesterday.”

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As Date with Belfort Approaches, Silva Feels No Extra Pressure

Anderson Silva (left) | Marcelo Alonso/Sherdog.com

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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Pros Pick: Silva vs. Belfort

Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort will collide at UFC 126. | Sherdog.com

Super Saturday has often served as the staging ground for significant fights between high-profile UFC stars. UFC 126 “Silva vs. Belfort” falls in line this Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, as light heavyweight showdowns pairing Rich Franklin with Forrest Griffin and Jon Jones with Ryan Bader serve as the appetizers.

In the main event, two of the most dangerous and dynamic strikers in MMA history will vie for the UFC middleweight crown, as defending champion Anderson Silva puts his title on the line against Vitor Belfort.

Sherdog.com recently caught up with dozens of professional trainers and fighters to gauge their opinions on the long-awaited duel between Silva and Belfort:

Fred Ettish: Anderson vs. Vitor is a tough one, as most of them are in this sport. So many ways things can go, especially with two of the best, past and present. If Anderson comes serious, comes to fight and takes care of business, he should come out ahead in a tough fight. His last loss was over five years ago, and the list of his victims since then is littered with some of the top names and tough guys of the sport in his division: [Rich] Franklin (twice), [Chael] Sonnen, [Demian] Maia, [Dan] Henderson, [Thales] Leites and more. I do not pretend to understand his in-cage antics in some of those fights, but he has been pushed hard by Sonnen and by Henderson in the first rounds of their fights. Those two wins, especially coming back against Sonnen so late in the fight, are wins that are defining, in my honest opinion. Vitor can very well take this, and I have enjoyed watching him since the 19-year-old phenom exploded on the scene, leaving sleeping bodies in his wake. I just don’t think he will this time. The fighters that have given Anderson the toughest time are guys who have been wrestling since they were each knee high to a puppy. Vitor is strong and explosive and has likely trained a lot of wrestling, but that is not the same as being a lifelong wrestler. I’m not sure Vitor can keep Anderson down. I also don’t think he will be able to submit Anderson. I believe Vitor’s way to win the fight is with his speed and striking on the feet. I think Anderson’s precision striking and footwork will not allow Vitor to be effective enough. Vitor has his share of wins in the same time period as Anderson, including his win over Franklin, but he does not have the number of quality wins over that period Anderson does, and Anderson’s have been mostly title defenses. Anderson via TKO later in the fight, maybe round four.

Jonathan Chaimberg: I think the matchup is a great one for Silva. It’s one of the first fights for him in a while where he can focus on his creative striking game and not worry about being taken down or out-grappled; that is key. Vitor’s cage rust will also be a factor. Look for fireworks early and Anderson winning early in the second round.

Mike Constantino: I think Silva will use his timing to counter Vitor, take a couple rounds to find his distance and then win via KO in the third round.

Nate Marquardt: I think Silva’s footwork will be too much for Belfort to handle. I see Silva winning a decision or a third round or later TKO.

Tom Vaughn: Belfort has all the right tools but doesn’t seem convincing against top competition. There will probably be a cautious feeling-out process out of mutual respect that should work in Silva’s favor. Silva is great at dissecting an opponent over the duration of a fight. For that reason, Belfort should get on Silva from the start and hope he can land something big with his lightning-quick hands early in the fight. Don’t think so; Silva by TKO in round three.  

Marlon Sandro: I think Anderson wins a judges’ decision. I think Vitor only has a chance in the first two rounds. Everything favors Anderson because he’s more active, but I think Vitor is the most dangerous adversary for Anderson.

Joaquim Ferreira: I think it will be a close fight because Vitor is also an excellent athlete, but I think that Anderson wins by TKO in the third round.

Thiago Tavares: Silva dominates the fight and wins by unanimous decision.

Luis Ramos: I think Anderson wins by knockout in the second round.

Nick Thompson: This fight reminds me of something from my childhood. Derrick Noble’s and my father had been appointed by the court to defend a man who was accused of raping a young woman. Derrick’s and my faith in justice was badly shaken when the jury convicted the man despite our father having shown, in court, that the accuser was lying. The accuser’s father was so upset over his being humiliated in court that he attacked Derrick and me on our way home from our school’s Halloween pageant. The accuser’s father had just broken Derrick’s arm and was about to do worse, when, out of nowhere, the town recluse saved us.   

Jeremy Luchau: Silva wins by TKO or KO in the late second or early third round after finding his rhythm and precision counter strikes.

Jason Lambert: Hard to pick; very interesting matchup. Pick ’em.

Adam Singer: Do not take my pick and go to Vegas, unless you do the opposite of my choices. I have gotten the last four in a row wrong. So here goes: I think Vitor will stand up with Silva. This plays right into “The Spider’s” plans. Siva by KO in round three.

Robin Black: This is either going to be a mind-blowingly exciting three minutes or a painfully excruciating 25 minutes. Let’s hope for the former and a new champion.

Neil Melanson: Vitor is going to win.

Josh Thomson: Anderson by TKO in the second or third round.

Patrick Cote: I’ll go with Belfort. I think he will be too fast for Silva, and he’s a southpaw, like [Chael] Sonnen. Vitor will put a lot of pressure and catch him with a big left cross.

Nam Phan: I say Anderson Silva [wins].

Rex Richards: As much as I would prefer Vitor to win, I think his time off from fighting will hurt him in this fight and Silva will win by TKO in the fourth round. I’m a huge fan of both but remember a young vicious Belfort from the 1990s.

Keith Berry: Wow, this is an explosive fight. I’ve trained a bit with both of these guys, and I have to say I think Vitor will pull off the upset. I think it’s crazy to think he’s almost a 3-to-1 underdog, but I’m going to say Vitor by third-round TKO.

Kit Cope: The “fastest hands Vitor” thing is overhyped. Anderson is too slick and doesn’t move in straight lines. I’m callin’ this one Silva with style. Do a little dance, make a little love and choke Vitor unconscious.

Ron Frazier: I’m very biased here. I was the first coach to ever work with Belfort when he came to Xtreme Couture before the Terry Martin fight. All I can say is this is the best training camp he has had in the four he has been with us. It has been a joy. He has worked harder and smarter than ever before, working with six-time world kickboxing champ Ray Sefo and Gil Martinez, who has 20-plus years in the boxing game at a high level. He will have Neil Melanson working with his grappling, Jayme [Sandall], a karate world champion from Brazil, and, of course, the man himself, Randy Couture. He has prepared himself to become champion, and on top of all that, he is a different animal than Anderson has faced before. He is just as good a striker, if not better, with great footwork and faster hands. This fight will be a great one. I’m expecting a Belfort win by KO -- not sure which round.

Travis Lutter: If this fight happened before the last fight [with Sonnen], I would have picked Anderson for sure, but that fight throws doubts. With that being said, I am taking Anderson in this one, but I’m not as sure as I was.

Mike Easton: Vitor, I think, is going to win.

Ray Elbe: Belfort by submission. Long live Carlson Gracie.

Gabe Ruediger: I’m going with Ruediger by finish in the first. Oh, you meant the actual main event -- Anderson by submission or TKO in the third round.

Gerald Harris: I’m going to honestly flip a coin on this one. I have no idea who will win, but I’ll be watching.

Benji Radach: I pick Belfort by TKO or KO in the first few rounds. Otherwise, I see Anderson turning it up in the later rounds for a decision win.

Stephane Vigneault: I [hope] Belfort wins because Belfort was my first idol and pretty much was the first idol of everybody after his debut in the UFC. But, realistically, if Belfort [does] not KO Silva in round one, Silva will win in round three [by] submission or TKO. But I will scream, “Let’s go Vitor!”

Striker’s Delight

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