According to Fightersonlymag.com, Wanderlei Silva says he’s from the streets and fellow Brazilian Vitor Belfort lives in Disneyland.
“Each has his own opinion, each can express his own point of view. But I think he lives in his own world. In his own mind he is right, but for me he lives in Disneyland. But I was born in the real world, I’m from the streets,” he said.
“The guy is a lion when he is doing the hitting – but when he is hit, he shows the fear on his face. I will beat him and I will do it with heart.”
That last time these two met was back in 1998 at UFC Brazil—Belfort was 21 at the time and Silva was 22. Also, both combatants were each 5-1 (all 10 victories coming via stoppage) in their budding mixed martial arts careers.
The fight itself lasted all but 44 seconds of the opening stanza, as the “Phenom” Belfort decimated “The Axe Murderer” in brutal fashion.
Fast forward 14 years, and the pair are set to do it all again, but first they have to complete their stint as opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil reality television series.
However, Belfort (21-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC) has already stoked the flames by taking a swipe at Silva’s supposed fragile chin and his fighting style, which he believes has failed to evolve.
“If he does that (trade with me) I’ll break him again. He no longer has the chin to trade with me. Tell him to change strategies or it’s going to be another knockout,” Belfort said.
The rematch is scheduled to take place at UFC 147 at the Estádio Olímpico João Havelange in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in front an expected 80,000 strong crowd.
While Silva (34-11-1-1NC, MMA, 4-6 UFC) is from the town Curitiba, Belfort hails from Rio, and as a result is expected to garner most of crowd’s support, however, Silva believes he’ll have the backing of the Rio contingent as well.
“The cariocas (Rio people) love me. The crowd will all root for me. I am a beloved athlete all over the world. People want to see the show, a good fight and this is what we will do. I am very happy to fight in Rio and I will dedicate the victory to all the people from Rio,” Silva said.
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