Things are quiet on the middleweight front—perhaps a little too quiet. The eye of the storm hangs overhead, with distant rumbles of thunder periodically interrupting the spacious moments of silence.
Warm sunshine and endless skies of blue serve as a momentary utopia from the inevitable storm surging ahead.
Vitor Belfort, an ageless lion, has sat quietly in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to turn back time. It has been more than a decade since he last hoisted UFC gold. On Saturday night, his legendary career will come full-circle when he steps into the cage with the new lion, undefeated middleweight champion Chris Weidman.
UFC 187, the biggest pay-per-view card so far this year, has mostly been predicated around Jon Jones’ legal situation and the vacant light heavyweight title fight between Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and Daniel Cormier.
Occasionally, a question or two gets thrown Weidman’s way regarding future bouts against Luke Rockhold or Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. Being snubbed by the media is nothing new for Belfort. With nearly two decades of professional fight experience, the man has seen it all. He is devoid of emotional attachments to media gatherings.
Rockhold and Souza won’t be the ones stepping into the Octagon this weekend, though. When the cage door closes, Belfort will have 25 minutes to write the future to his liking.
Perhaps MMA fans have forgotten the way he knocked out Rockhold and Dan Henderson. Maybe people are sleeping on the way he torched Michael Bisping. Belfort’s jaw-dropping, vintage performances against three world-class fighters should be respected.
Weidman is a golden child in the new era of MMA. He made a mortal out of Anderson Silva, the greatest fighter in UFC history. There is no beating around the bush in terms of Weidman’s overwhelming talent.
The guy is a prodigy in the making, capable of surpassing Silva as the greatest middleweight of all time. His skill set is flawlessly rounded from top to bottom.
However, Belfort’s rare combination of speed and power has the potential to shred any paper comparison to pieces. Some would say, “same dog, old tricks.” Fighting has evolved over the years, but there has never been a replacement for speed and knockout power. More of the same is exactly what’s expected, and it’s exactly what Belfort needs.
Blue will turn to gray, and the skies will open Saturday night. The storm is nearly here. With one emphatic blow, Belfort can force the world to remember.
Jordy McElroy is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.
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