Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson was an anticipated matchup until Johnson missing weight the way he did cast a shadow over the fight and over the event itself.
However, the fight is still on; Belfort and “Rumble” will be doing battle in the Octagon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
So who will win the fight?
It depends on two things: Johnson’s gameplan and his conditioning.
If he goes out and tries to strike with Belfort, one of the most technical, fast and powerful strikers in MMA, he’ll get his head knocked into the nosebleed seats via a Belfort punching flurry.
The best bet for Johnson therefore is to try and grapple Belfort and put him on his back, where the Brazilian’s fearsome striking is negated.
Johnson has the wrestling chops to do it, but with the botched weight cut, no one knows what his conditioning will be like. It’s uncertain if he’ll have the energy to bring Belfort to the mat and be able to hold him down/submit/TKO him during the fight.
Belfort will likely be looking to exploit any conditioning issues Johnson may have; look to see him force a high-paced fight on Johnson.
For Belfort to win, he needs to stay off the ground; having a man like Anthony Johnson on top of him may well tire him out. Also, grappling too much will make his shoulders feel heavy with lactic acid, slowing down “The Phenom”s punching.
When you consider all of this, it’s most likely that Belfort will escape with a (T)KO victory. He’s better than Johnson in the striking department and knows he’ll be shooting for a takedown a la the fight with Dan Hardy.
Belfort shouldn’t need more than one round.
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