UFC Middleweight bout: Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
Odds: (-370 Belfort /+280 Akiyama )
Betting Pick: Belfort
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In the semi-main event, heavy-handed Brazilian Vitor Belfort will look to rebound from a devastating loss to Middleweight champion Anderson Silva against skilled Japanese judoka Yoshihiro Akiyama, who is on a two fight skid of his own. Akiyama is a very well-rounded fighter with extremely effective grappling, but Belfort has dynamite in both hands and a very underrated ground game of his own. There is no question that Belfort is the more explosive of the two, but Akiyama has a very well-rounded skillset that allows him to be effective in more ranges than Belfort, so this has the makings of a very competitive bout.
Yoshihiro Akiyama, a longtime veteran of K-1 and DREAM, is a very versatile fighter with a strong grappling base. His shoot takedowns are pretty decent, but his throws from the clinch are excellent and he has a solid submission attack, especially from top position. His boxing is fairly solid and technical, but he lacks fight-ending power. His submission defense is also somewhat porous, as he showed in his fight against Chris Leben, where he succumbed to a triangle choke from a guy who is not particularly renowned for his ability to work off his back. While he lacks one punch power, he does have the ability to capitalize on openings and pile on punishment. Akiyama’s biggest strength is his ability to compete anywhere a fight goes, but his biggest weakness is that there is no one area where he completely takes a fight over.
Vitor Belfort was a standout in the UFC’s early days, and has been enjoying a serious career resurgence recently. Aside from Anderson Silva, Belfort may well be the most devastating striker in the Middleweight division. He lacks Silva’s flair for unorthodox strikes, but he is a disturbingly heavy-handed puncher and every single punch he throws has fight-ending potential. You wouldn’t know it to look at his record, but he is also a fairly skilled grappler with solid wrestling and submissions. Generally, though, he tends to forego using his grappling offensively, instead using it to keep fights standing where he can usually dominate his opponents.
This is a rough matchup for Akiyama. Akiyama’s takedowns are good, but not overpowering, and on the feet he is going to be brutally outmatched by Belfort. I just don’t think Akiyama has the ability to consistently force Belfort to the ground and hold him there, and on the feet he just isn’t going to last long. Belfort by T/KO.
Prediction: Vitor Belfort via second round T/KO.
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