Tag: Alan Belcher

Silva vs. Sonnen 2: 5 Middleweights Anxiously Awaiting the Outcome of UFC Bout

One week from today, the most anticipated rematch in UFC history will finally be settled.Anderson Silva, the fighter regarded by many to be the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, will attempt to silence Chael Sonnen once and for all.With their …

One week from today, the most anticipated rematch in UFC history will finally be settled.

Anderson Silva, the fighter regarded by many to be the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, will attempt to silence Chael Sonnen once and for all.

With their first clash resulting in an instant classic, all eyes in the MMA world will be fixed on the main event of UFC 148.

This go-around will come in just shy of two years since the two fighters first squared off at UFC 117. The division in which they are competing to champion looks much different than it did in 2010.

Leading up to their first fight, Sonnen was thought to be the final contender left in a division Anderson Silva had ravaged and conquered.

But when they collide on July 7th in Las Vegas, a weight classes’s upper tier once considered thin, now has a handful of contenders eagerly awaiting their shot at middleweight gold.

 

Mark Munoz

The former NCAA Division I national champion wrestler’s hard work has certainly paid off.

After entering the WEC as a light heavyweight, Munoz turned up his intensity and commitment to his goal of becoming one of the best fighters in the world.

Following his decision to drop to 185 pounds, “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” has won seven out of eight, including four consecutive wins inside the Octagon.

Following his victory over Chris Leben at UFC 138, Munoz made his title intentions known as he addressed his friend and former training partner, Anderson Silva.

While his title hopes wouldn’t come to fruition, the UFC granted him a matchup with Sonnen at UFC on Fox 2 in Chicago. Unfortunately, an injury would force him to withdraw from the bout and temporarily sideline him from the title race.

 

Up next, Munoz faces rising star Chris Weidman. He will have the power advantage when the two square off, and if Munoz can implement his brutal brand of ground and pound, it could be the factor which tips the affair.

 

Michael Bisping

UFC fans may not clamor and throw praise on Michael Bisping, but the former TUF winner has proven himself to be a legit threat at the 185-pound throne.

The brash Brit had put together four in a row before he came up on the losing end of a judge’s decision against Chael Sonnen.

Bisping replaced Munoz in the bout and was able to use his footwork to keep Sonnen off-balance.

For his next outing, he was supposed to face Tim Boetsch at UFC 149, but the injury bug bit again and forced Bisping to withdraw.

There has been no date set for his return, but “The Count” has been vocal about his place in the division.

He believes he is closer to a title shot than most, and if he can put two solid wins together, he just might get there.

 

Hector Lombard

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney has never been shy in his belief that Hector Lombard can beat Anderson Silva. Thanks to an exodus to the UFC, the fight could become a reality.

The former Bellator middleweight champion will enter the organization on a 24-fight win streak. Lombard’s resume and name recognition have immediately put him into the mix in the division’s upper tier.

He was originally slated to face Brian Stann in his debut, but after the “All-American” injured his shoulder, the fight was scrapped. Following the injury suffered by Bisping, Lombard was tapped to step into the fight with Tim Boetsch, and the two will meet at UFC 149 next month in Calgary.

 

Lombard will bring his one-punch-sleeper power and his Olympic-level judo to the sport’s biggest stage.

Although he hasn’t been defeated in nearly six years, Lombard has received criticism for his lack of high-profile opposition. This will not be the case in the UFC where Lombard will face legitimate tests at every turn.

Should he find victory against Boetsch, Lombard could be one fight away from a title shot. If he is defeated, consider the Lombard hype train derailed.

 

Alan Belcher

There was a time where Alan Belcher was a fighter unable to grasp his full potential.

Despite game performances, “The Talent” was stuck in a pattern of “two steps forward, one step back.” Fortunately for Belcher, this trend appears to have been broken and he has notched four consecutive victories.

In his most recent outing against the dangerous submission artist Rousimar Palhares, Belcher proved he is a threat no matter where the fight takes place.

He was able to fend of Palhares’ signature leg attack before pounding out a TKO stoppage late in the first round. The performance signaled Belcher’s arrival to the mix of contenders at 185 pounds.

During the fight with Palhares, he suffered an injury to his right hand which has him on the shelf for an uncertain amount of time.

When he returns to action, it will undoubtedly come against one of the division’s best. If he can continue his impressive run, a title shot will appear on the horizon.

 

Chris Weidman

At this time last year, the former two-time All-American wrestler was a prospect on the rise.

Impressive outings in his first two appearances under the UFC banner led to stronger competition, and Chris Weidman was able to answer those challenges.

While he looked fantastic in his victory over Tom Lawlor, Weidman’s performance against Demian Maia left much to be desired. He stepped up on 11 days notice to take the fight and ultimately looked sluggish despite earning the victory.

Up next he will face his biggest test to date in Mark Munoz.

With strong wrestling and a solid jiu-jitsu game, Weidman will find out exactly where he stands in the divisional hierarchy when he faces Munoz.

Should the New York native be able to best “The Filipino Wrecking Machine,” the transition from prospect to contender will be complete.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Rousimar Palhares Stepping Up to Face Yushin Okami at UFC 150 and You’ll Never Guess Why


(Finally we can look forward to an injury that happens IN the cage.) 

It’s finally happened, Potato Nation. The soil has reached over-saturation point and the paper clip that finally breaks the surface tension has been dropped. Confused? So are we, because even though the UFC held that UFC on FUEL event on an Indian burial ground in Fairfax earlier this year, we were told that everything would be fine. “Florida is a tough market,” they said. “They’re training too hard,” they clamored. But we weren’t fooled by the red herrings, the smoke and mirrors. This is karma for the UFC’s aforementioned acts of stepping on hallowed ground. Those insolent baboons.

The injury curse that has pulled the rug out from the UFC’s summer plans has officially become so frequent that we can’t even finish an article informing you of an injury before another one has already occurred. The chances of us mentioning a fighter within a sentence who isn’t currently injured has dropped to a staggering 0.0126 percent, and we simply don’t know what to do anymore. Begin stockpiling your canned goods and first aid kits, because surely the end times are upon us.


(Finally we can look forward to an injury that happens IN the cage.) 

It’s finally happened, Potato Nation. The soil has reached over-saturation point and the paper clip that finally breaks the surface tension has been dropped. Confused? So are we, because even though the UFC held that UFC on FUEL event on an Indian burial ground in Fairfax earlier this year, we were told that everything would be fine. “Florida is a tough market,” they said. “They’re training too hard,” they clamored. But we weren’t fooled by the red herrings, the smoke and mirrors. This is karma for the UFC’s aforementioned acts of stepping on hallowed ground. Those insolent baboons.

The injury curse that has pulled the rug out from the UFC’s summer plans has officially become so frequent that we can’t even finish an article informing you of an injury before another one has already occurred. The chances of us mentioning a fighter within a sentence who isn’t currently injured has dropped to a staggering 0.0126 percent, and we simply don’t know what to do anymore. Begin stockpiling your canned goods and first aid kits, because surely the end times are upon us.

Perhaps you remember a former top light heavyweight contender by the name of Luiz Cane, no? Well, after dropping three of his last four UFC contests at 205, “Banha” was set to make his middleweight debut against Yushin Okami at UFC 150 (likely in a last ditch effort to save his career). Okami, who has fallen on hard times as well as of late, is coming off back-to-back TKO losses to Anderson Silva and Tim Boetsch, and would definitely be facing a great test in Cane to kickstart his own epic comeback.

But the ghosts of the UFC’s past would not allow it.

Thiago Silva, Michael Bisping, Vitor Belfort, Big Nog, and countless other UFC stars have sacrificed themselves in order to try and repay the UFC’s debt to the earth, but it has apparently become so great that the curse has now moved on to even the promotion’s lowliest employees. We’re talking, of course, about Mr. Cane, who recently pulled out from his bout with Okami due to an injury. It’s safe to say that if we have to write that phrase one more God damn time this week, it will be with the bloody remains of the fingers we have yet to chew to the knuckle. Poor Joe Silva must be sweating through his tattered, hilarious clashing outfit right about now.

And filling in for Cane will be none other than world renowned mangler of limbs, Rousimar Palhares, who is coming off an upset loss to Alan Belcher at UFC on FOX 3. Although Okami has dropped two straight, you have to imagine that he’ll be a slight favorite heading into this one. For starters, he’s never been submitted, and being that the ground game is Palhares’ go-to offense (and only offense, in some cases), Okami should be able to fend off most of the Brazilian’s attacks.

Then again, Palhares only needs the briefest of opportunities to drag his opponents into the depths of hell they never thought imaginable, so who do you like for this one?

Actually, don’t waste your time. One of these men will go down within the next week or two. It has been written.

–J. Jones

Alan Belcher Reflects on His Win over Rousimar Palhares at UFC on Fox 3

While the MMA media postulate on the success or failure that was UFC on FOX 3, there is a huge story that has gone ignored by almost everyone.Leading up to the card, there was only one question on everyone’s mind: Could Alan Belcher handle Rousimar Pal…

While the MMA media postulate on the success or failure that was UFC on FOX 3, there is a huge story that has gone ignored by almost everyone.

Leading up to the card, there was only one question on everyone’s mind: Could Alan Belcher handle Rousimar Palhares’ leg locks? It was a question that Belcher fielded twice at the open workouts and once more at the pre-fight press conference. It was a question he heard so often that he had a rehearsed answer. 

If anyone paid attention to the pre-fight stories, you’d have expected Rousimar Palhares to grab hold of Belcher’s leg and rip it clean off. It wasn’t even a question of “if”, it was almost as if it was predetermined that Alan would go back to Mississippi missing a limb.

“Well, I knew that if I’d fight on the ground it would be a mistake because even though you saw me fight on the ground and defend the leg locks pretty easy and was pretty close to submission on him, it would still be a mistake to try and force that.”

He added, “I knew that if we got to the ground I was confident that I could stop whatever he had. I didn’t know that I would beat him on the ground but I was pretty confident. I dreamed about proving something but never let that get to me to where that was what I was focused on. My main objective was to get the win.”

The fact that Rousimar Palhares is such a “one-trick pony” actually worked to Belcher’s advantage. Instead of having to game plan for a fighter with multiple ways to victory, he and his coaches only had to plan for leg locks.

“Sometimes you have to guess a little bit about what your opponent’s gonna do and how they’re thinking about fighting you. But he fights everyone the same. It definitely made it easy for me. It made a really hard fight easy to train for and an easy one to win because I was so focused and I respected so much what he could do.”

The way that the fight played out, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Belcher, a BJJ blackbelt, planned to attempt his own submissions on the Brazilian Top Team representative. What should be surprising is the ease in which he transitioned between all of them.

“I didn’t train specifically for him to do that stuff because I didn’t think that he would do that kind of takedown. But the kind of takedown that he did with his head on the outside, head out twisting a leg…whatever you wanna call that position…I wasn’t going to let him hold me down. I sometimes go to their back or get them in that kind of ‘bananasplit/twister position’. It’s called the ‘truck’ and I do that in training all the time. It’s a really good move that I do there.”

He’d add, “the crack down is often how anyone can get me down. It’s a pretty high percentage for getting people to sit down on their butt. But it leaves you open for back attacks, guillotines, twisters…stuff like that. I’m pretty good at that kinda stuff and I have a lot of moves on the ground. I train with a lot of high level grapplers and BJJ fighters. I got my twister game tweaked up by Eddie Bravo a couple years back. I get people with that stuff all the time.”  

The term “biggest fight of your career” gets thrown around often and for the most part, it is accurate. However, for Belcher, the biggest fight of his career was when his almost ended due to an eye injury. Now following the biggest fight of his career, Belcher sees things with perfect clarity.

“I came into this fight with a lot of focus and I was really in the zone, more than ever. I did my job and now I feel I just need to continue what I’m doing. I know it’s gonna take a few weeks to sort things out and talk to the UFC. They’re probably gonna wanna wait and see what happens at some of these other fights. Right now I’m just trying to enjoy this victory and enjoy time with my family and recover mentally and physically.”

Riding a huge win on network television over someone that everyone considered to be the top submission grappler in the division, Belcher reflects on this enormous win. He mentioned at the post-fight press conference that everyone counted him out and even joked that UFC President Dana White was one of those naysayers. 

“Dana came to me and he admitted to me that he was excited about the fight and how it was a great fight. But he thought that Rousimar was just a beast on the ground and he was tearing people’s legs apart. When it went to the ground he thought it was over. I kinda laughed. Then he said ‘once you escaped everything and stayed inside his guard, I was thinking what is he doing? Why doesn’t he back up?’ I was like ‘it sucks eat your words sometimes don’t it?'”

I bet he won’t do that again. 

If we’ve learned anything from the last three years of Alan Belcher’s career, it’s that we can never count “the Talent” out in any situation.

From having his career potentially cut short from an eye injury to now a contender, Alan has made everyone a believer in what he can do in the middleweight division. At just 28 years old, we’ll continue to see the evolution of Belcher for years to come.

If Saturday was any indication, we’ll be seeing him challenge for a title soon. 

Matthew Roth is a Lead Blogger for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained first-hand.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The Top 5 Ground and Pound of 2012 so Far

Mark Coleman is a genius. When he fought fellow combatants in the 90s he decided to mix his wrestling with a “pound his face into the mat/oblivion” concept and it worked wonders; ground-and-pound was born. Fast forward to modern MMA and every fighter h…

Mark Coleman is a genius. When he fought fellow combatants in the 90s he decided to mix his wrestling with a “pound his face into the mat/oblivion” concept and it worked wonders; ground-and-pound was born.

Fast forward to modern MMA and every fighter has ground-and-pound significantly worked into their repertoire, albeit with varying styles and fecundity.

We are not even halfway through 2012 and we already have some sterling examples of this fine and brutal art. Whether from inside an opponent’s guard or transitioning to mount, back-mount and elsewhere—these are the top 5 ground-and-pound for 2012 so far.

So, tell me fellow bleacher reporters, who did I miss?

Begin Slideshow

Robbery, Recovery, and Resurgence — The Journey of Alan Belcher


(“It’s okay, boy. Doesn’t really look like Johnny Cash, but you did the best you could.” / Photo via CageWriter)

By Jason Moles

What was supposed to be a monumental night for Alan Belcher at UFC 100, filled with celebration and grandeur, turned out to be more of a grand illusion thanks to the gross incompetence of the judges. Belcher’s controversial split-decision loss to then-UFC newcomer Yoshihiro Akiyama still leaves a sour taste in the mouth of many who recall Bruce Buffer’s reading of the scorecards. That sweaty July night, although only three years ago, feels like an eternity ago when you consider all that the Biloxi, Mississippi native has endured over the past few years. From that memorable fight to unforeseeable medical threats and his surge to the top of the middleweight division, the burden-laden path has proved Belcher both remarkable and resilient.

Leading up to the historical UFC 100 pay-per-view, you heard a lot of chatter about “Sexyama” losing only once in fifteen professional fights. Since then, the Japanese veteran has been falling in a downward spiral, going o-4 in the cage. Belcher on the other hand, hasn’t looked back, earning four consecutive stoppage victories and two end-of-night bonuses. Suffice it to say that it’s more than a coincidence that they’ve been heading in opposite directions since their paths crossed. It’s just a shame no one called the cops to report the robbery that night.

If you saw the Fight of the Night bout between Akiyama and “The Talent” then you know the fight was close, but not that close. “He got me down a couple of times, but I swept him just as many times as he took me down,” Belcher said after the fight. “I tried for submissions; I think he only hit me a few times on the ground. I landed leg kick after leg kick over and over and over.”


(“It’s okay, boy. Doesn’t really look like Johnny Cash, but you did the best you could.” / Photo via CageWriter)

By Jason Moles

What was supposed to be a monumental night for Alan Belcher at UFC 100, filled with celebration and grandeur, turned out to be more of a grand illusion thanks to the gross incompetence of the judges. Belcher’s controversial split-decision loss to then-UFC newcomer Yoshihiro Akiyama still leaves a sour taste in the mouth of many who recall Bruce Buffer’s reading of the scorecards. That sweaty July night, although only three years ago, feels like an eternity ago when you consider all that the Biloxi, Mississippi native has endured over the past few years. From that memorable fight to unforeseeable medical threats and his surge to the top of the middleweight division, the burden-laden path has proved Belcher both remarkable and resilient.

Leading up to the historical UFC 100 pay-per-view, you heard a lot of chatter about “Sexyama” losing only once in fifteen professional fights. Since then, the Japanese veteran has been falling in a downward spiral, going o-4 in the cage. Belcher on the other hand, hasn’t looked back, earning four consecutive stoppage victories and two end-of-night bonuses. Suffice it to say that it’s more than a coincidence that they’ve been heading in opposite directions since their paths crossed. It’s just a shame no one called the cops to report the robbery that night.

If you saw the Fight of the Night bout between Akiyama and “The Talent” then you know the fight was close, but not that close. “He got me down a couple of times, but I swept him just as many times as he took me down,” Belcher said after the fight. “I tried for submissions; I think he only hit me a few times on the ground. I landed leg kick after leg kick over and over and over.”

**********

When an normal American goes to Brazil for an extended period of time during the summer, the worst that usually happens to him is a nasty sunburn after taking a leisurely nap at the beach, a twisted ankle trying to get his freak on during Carnival, or maybe the poor sap gets a full beer thrown on him when a native wins a big fight. Alan Belcher is not a normal American. During the summer of 2010, coming off two award-winning victories in the Octagon against Wilson Gouveia and Patrick Cote, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt was quickly approaching his first-ever main event at UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Belcher. But as the anticipation grew, so did the fear. It wasn’t the fear of forgetting the game plan or even losing on cable television in front of millions of people. No, this fear was far more worrisome — Alan was going blind in one eye:

“I have a detached retina. It just all happened all of a sudden, I just lost my vision in my right eye. It just happened all of a sudden, man — pretty much overnight. I was in Brazil training and I messed around for a few days there afterwards and I had to come home and have a surgery the day after I came home.”

The only thing worse than that would have been a run-in with the locals on some side street in the favelas. The mixed martial arts community was stricken with worry. Could it be? Could they really lose one of their own at such a young age? All the while, Belcher’s wife Ashley kept fans and media alike informed after the hospital visits and checkups, each day a new struggle. Doctors would reveal that tears in his retina lead to a complete detachment. After being repaired by surgery, his retina became detached for the second time just two months later.

“That was really bad for me,” said Belcher when asked about the time spent recovering. “I thought I wasn’t gonna fight again, and we weren’t even talking about it with the doctor. I was just trying to get my sight back. After a while, I started thinking about it a little bit and there definitely was a chance that I wasn’t gonna fight again. Even if you do get good enough to get back in there, do you want to risk doing that again? There are so many different variables, and it was a tough time for me.”

Fortunately for Belcher — and unfortunately for the rest of the UFC middleweights — his next surgery was a success, and he picked up right where he left off. At Ultimate Fight Night 25 in New Orleans in September 2011, nearly five hundred days since his last fight, Alan Belcher defeated Jason MacDonald in the first round by submission due to strikes.

**********

CagePotato’s own Jared Jones had this to say leading up to Belcher’s most recent appearance at UFC on FOX 3: “At +240, Alan Belcher would look pretty damn tempting…if he wasn’t fighting a genetically engineered, psychopathic wildebeest in Rousimar Palhares. With an ever-improving striking game, as documented in his typically disorienting win over Dan Miller, ”Toquinho” has made the step up from “mini-Hulk” to full-on “eater of worlds,” and there’s nothing we can do to stop him.” Based on the betting line, Dangada was speaking on behalf of the vast majority of fight fans. But the Roufussport product must not have paid Vegas much attention, as evidenced by the absence of an “I told you so” during the post-fight interviews. His silence on the matter only confirmed what we already knew; men like Alan Belcher believe they can win every fight, even when the odds aren’t in their favor.

Judging from the above description of the Brazilian, it’s easy to see why one might be a little hesitant in agreeing to allow themselves to be locked in a cage with such a beast. Since being signed by Zuffa in 2008, Palhares had only dropped two fights, one to Dan Henderson, the other to Nate Marquardt. But as with all one-trick ponies, the heel-hook specialist had met his match. You’d spend more time ordering a pizza than it took Belcher to dispatch of Palhares. It’s only a little hyperbolic to say that he shocked the world at UFC on FOX 3 when he escaped the clutches of his dreaded opponent and smashed his way to a first-round TKO victory from inside Palhares’s guard.

Finally, the fans gave the man his due. They were forced to acknowledge that Belcher is a legit contender who can no longer be ignored. All it took was overcoming a career-threatening eye injury and chopping down the world’s most dangerous “little tree stump.” Beating a highly skilled fighter at his own game proved Belcher’s BAMF status to everyone watching that night. He’s always had the tools to succeed in the UFC middleweight division, but for the first time, Belcher now has consistency, the attention of the fans, and enough momentum to carry him into the division’s upper reaches.

From robbery to recovery. From recovery to resurgence. The remarkable journey of Alan Belcher is far from over. Where to now?

In the Wake of Upset Victory Over Rousimar Palhares, Alan Belcher Calls Out Michael Bisping


(WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT MY SPRAY TAN?!) 

Just three days ago, Alan Belcher was fed to the lions. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but like those who choose to stay in Omelas, the Zuffa head-honchos knew that a sacrifice had to be made for the good of the community. For if the insatiable beast known as “Toquinho” was not fed his daily quotient of appendages, theirs would surely be next. So they sent forth the only American brave enough to tattoo Kim Jong-il on his arm to narfle the Garthok, so to speak. But like the mighty Beldar Conehead before him, Alan Belcher emerged from the monstrosity’s repugnant dwelling unscathed, and earned a lifetime supply of free wishes for doing so.

At least that’s how “The Talent” sees it, because when asked on who he’d like to face next (if a title shot was out of the question, of course) Belcher was rather adamant about his options, telling the following to BloodyElbow’s Steph Daniels:

I think a fight with Michael Bisping makes a lot of sense. I mean, Boetsch looks like a beast at 185, and I’ve got to admit, he looks pretty scary. The other guys in the division, in my mind, I’ve already beat them so many times, and I know everything about them, and I know they don’t have anything really threatening. Boetsch has got some pretty powerful tools, and is a pretty scary dude.

Bisping, of course, is getting to be a professional point fighter, and he’s kind of hard to beat like that. That fight would be a nice payday, and a big fight for the media, so I’m kind of leaning towards that one. It would make sense, and the fans would love it. I can almost feel the energy I would get from the fans if I put him to sleep.

In case you’re keeping track, Belcher has now joined a list of fighters who have called out the British “point fighter” that includes Mark Munoz, Brian Stann, Tim Boetsch (who was successful in doing so), and Jorge Rivera (who was less than successful).

Join us after the jump for much more from the interview. 


(WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT MY SPRAY TAN?!) 

Just three days ago, Alan Belcher was fed to the lions. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but like those who choose to stay in Omelas, the Zuffa head-honchos knew that a sacrifice had to be made for the good of the community. For if the insatiable beast known as “Toquinho” was not fed his daily quotient of appendages, theirs would surely be next. So they sent forth the only American brave enough to tattoo Kim Jong-il on his arm to narfle the Garthok, so to speak. But like the mighty Beldar Conehead before him, Alan Belcher emerged from the monstrosity’s repugnant dwelling unscathed, and earned a lifetime supply of free wishes for doing so.

At least that’s how “The Talent” sees it, because when asked on who he’d like to face next (if a title shot was out of the question, of course) Belcher was rather adamant about his options, telling the following to BloodyElbow’s Steph Daniels:

I think a fight with Michael Bisping makes a lot of sense. I mean, Boetsch looks like a beast at 185, and I’ve got to admit, he looks pretty scary. The other guys in the division, in my mind, I’ve already beat them so many times, and I know everything about them, and I know they don’t have anything really threatening. Boetsch has got some pretty powerful tools, and is a pretty scary dude.

Bisping, of course, is getting to be a professional point fighter, and he’s kind of hard to beat like that. That fight would be a nice payday, and a big fight for the media, so I’m kind of leaning towards that one. It would make sense, and the fans would love it. I can almost feel the energy I would get from the fans if I put him to sleep.

In case you’re keeping track, Belcher has now joined a list of fighters who have called out the British “point fighter” that includes Mark Munoz, Brian Stann, Tim Boetsch (who was successful in doing so), and Jorge Rivera (who was less than successful).

For the record, we’re not counting either of the men who coached opposite Bisping on his TUF gigs, even though one of those led to the most satisfying beatdowns of all time.

But believe it or not, Belcher’s desire to fight Bisping is not the result of some backstage incident where Bisping managed to get under his skin, as is usually the case, but rather out of general disdain for “The Count”:

No, nothing personal. I don’t know what to think about him. I can already kind of feel the kind of smack talking that he would be doing, and I think that he just honestly believes that he’s better than he is. I don’t think he respects me or considers me to be one of the top guys. It would feel good to beat him, but I don’t want to let those type of personal emotions get in the way of what’s really important, and that’s competing for the world championship and winning.

Belcher went on to state that, “There is just something about his face that makes me want to deliver a fist right in his suckhole, and if he doesn’t change his face, I’m going to change it for him.” We may have made that part up, but he was more than likely thinking it at the time of the interview.

Belcher was also quick to point out that, although he was successful, it wasn’t exactly his gameplan to stick his foot in the bear trap that is Rousimar Palhares:

I knew that I would shock some people. It wasn’t my intention to get into a grappling match with him. A lot of people thought that was my intent going in, and that the media sort of pushed me into it, trying to prove something, but that was surely not the case at all.

I knew I would be able to handle myself if he got me in a situation. I was prepared, and I’d been training with some of the best guys that do that kind of thing. I was probably kind of psyching myself up a little too much, and I was expecting some kind of super powers or super strength, but it was a lot easier once I actually got in there.

I knew that it was going to take some real tight mental preparation to beat somebody like this. I recognized that it was my time, not only in my career, in the title picture, but it was my time in the fight to finish him and make a big splash, and I think that’s what I did.

I think people will think twice about taking me down. Now they know I can grapple with the best of them. It was pretty nice watching him try to squirm out of the twister position, and out of all those submissions I was trying to throw on him. It was the highlight of the fight for me. I was pretty proud of it.

In a way, Belcher’s performance last Saturday night reminded me a lot of The Hurt Locker. “The Talent” showed incredible patience and precision when wiggling his way out of Palhares’ attacks, which impede one’s walking ability to the same degree as stepping on a landmine, if you think about it. And not only did he manage to avoid Palhares’ death grip, he attempted a twister and even a banana split at one point, I believe, all on one of the best Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in the game.

All I’m saying is, if Alan Belcher is asking for anything or anyone in terms of matchups, he’s earned it, don’t you think?

–J. Jones