The first time Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva met inside the Octagon was October 16, 1998 at UFC Ultimate Brazil. That fight did not last long—Belfort stopped Silva in 44 seconds with a flurry of strikes.
Now, nearly 14 years later, the two are set to meet at UFC 147, which will take place on June 23 at the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro, a stadium that can hold more than 47,000 fans for soccer games.
When the two entered the Octagon in 1998, they sported identical 5-1 records. Now, Belfort—a former UFC light heavyweight champion is 21-9. Silva, a former PRIDE middleweight champion, is 34-11-1-1.
Silva has had a rough go since rejoining the UFC in 2007, putting together a record of 3-4. For his part, Belfort has gone 3-1 since returning to the UFC in 2009. The two fighters are currently coaching opposing teams of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil.
Time has been a bit kinder to Belfort.
It was not long ago that UFC president Dana White stood at the UFC 132 post fight press conference and spoke of possibly having to “Chuck Liddell” Silva into retirement. Silva was brutally knocked out in that July 2011 fight by Chris Leben.
Following the loss to Leben, Silva seemed reluctant to go quietly into retirement, and when he defeated Cung Le via TKO at UFC 139, he temporarily staved off talk of his career coming to an end.
Belfort’s last loss took place at UFC 126 when a front kick from UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva felled him in the first round. Since then, he has put together two stoppage wins, defeating Yoshihiro Akiyama in a fight that won him “Knockout of the Night” honors. He defeated Anthony Johnson with a rear naked choke, which earned him “Submission of the Night.”
Both fighters are eagerly looking forward to their rematch, with Wanderlei Silva telling Ariel Helwani on a recent edition of The MMA Hour: “I’ve waited all my career for this fight. I’ve waited for (14) years for this fight. He is one of the guys I really, really want to fight before I (retire). This fight is the fight of my dreams.”
For his part, Belfort spoke to Portal Do Vale Tudo via Fighters Only, saying: “The important thing is to wait and see the result – when we fight, I will run over him and show what a true competitor is.”
No matter who wins this fight, the odds of it going the distance are slim, as both fighters will surely be looking to show that they are the more ferocious striker.
Belfort currently sits as a -350 favorite over Silva, who is a +280 underdog.
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