Vitor Belfort: Moving to Welterweight?

After a stunning debut in the early years of the UFC, Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort disappeared. Eventually he re-surfaced and found his way back to MMA and finally the UFC.This time his competition included some of the finest MMA athletes in history. All…

After a stunning debut in the early years of the UFC, Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort disappeared. Eventually he re-surfaced and found his way back to MMA and finally the UFC.

This time his competition included some of the finest MMA athletes in history. Allistair Overeem and Anderson Silva proved too big or too good for the Phenom to re-capture his old glory.

But there’s something about Vitor that keeps fans believing and the establishment calling. It’s more than the “puncher’s chance” he always brings. It’s the dynamic quality of his whole package and the devastating finishes he’s able to deliver.

Unlike some elite UFC fighters, Belfort shows up to fight. And fans are paying to see men fight, not play “the fight game.”

At this juncture and age, Belfort has one final run at relevance. The heavyweight class belongs to Jon Jones and will do so for the next 3 years (at least). Until Anderson Silva retires, middleweight is a no-win for Belfort.

Standing 6 feet and weighing an approximate 180 to 195 outside the ring, cutting to the 170 welterweight mark is not unthinkable.

BJ Penn dropped from welterweight’s 170 to lightweight’s 155. And dominated.

George St.Pierre stands 5′ 10″ and probably floats to 180-185 lbs outside the octagon.

With Vitor’s furiously fast and potent hands and his “big man” advantage of sucking down to welterweight, his best bang-for-his-buck move is paying GSP a visit at 170.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

MMA Exclusive Interview: Stann Believes He Could Be the First Man to KO Sonnen

JS: Hi Brian, many thanks for affording me the opportunity to conduct this interview. You seem to have a new lease of life at middleweight. Do you now feel in retrospect that MW has always been your natural fighting weight? BS: Yes. I had been told se…

JS: Hi Brian, many thanks for affording me the opportunity to conduct this interview. You seem to have a new lease of life at middleweight. Do you now feel in retrospect that MW has always been your natural fighting weight?

BS: Yes. I had been told several times by my cornermen that I would end up being a middleweight. When I was in the WEC, I hardly had to cut a single pound. I would arrive in Las Vegas weighing 206, or 207 lbs. When I initially made it over to the UFC, I would actually try to lift more weights to put weight on, because I had zero experience in cutting weight, and I preferred not to deal with it. I had never experienced any issues strength-wise up til then, with any Light Heavyweight I had ever fought, so it wasn’t really an issue. But as I continued to fight better wrestlers, it became more difficult, especially against the top level guys who are cutting significant amounts of weight. When fighting at 205lbs, on the morning of weigh-ins, I would consume a sizeable breakfast, which is virtually unheard of.

JS: And do you dislike the much-maligned weight-cut as much as other fighters?

BS: Actually, I find it ok. It is what it is. It’s four days of just sucking it up. I don’t have an easy cut by any means but I have a great nutritionist George Lockhart who handles my diet, and forms an integral part of my entourage for fight week. We make it work, and it’s a worthwhile sacrifice to compete in the greatest sport on the planet. 

JS: Ok. With notable wins recently over Leben and Santiago, you are hovering around the top of the middleweight rankings. Does this add any pressure going into fights?

BS: No, I don’t feel any pressure. There are so many critics out there that remain sceptical of my abilities. And even though this next fight with Chael is a number one contender bout, nobody is giving me a prayer in this fight, I’m more than a 2-1 underdog. So really all the pressure to perform is on the other guy. I can go out there, fight 100 miles per hour and fight to the best of my abilities because nobody is expecting anything from me in this fight. 

JS: Ok, and not wanting to look past Sonnen, but who else in particular excites you in terms of future UFC middleweight competition? Silva? Bisping? Belfort? Munoz?

BS: Yes, there’s a lot. Obviously, the champion excites me. Everyone wants to be the first middleweight to beat him. I know I certainly do. Chael obviously excites me because he arguably can be the best middleweight in the world. We all saw what he did to Anderson. You watch Chael’s fights and he really takes it to some top level guys. Michael Bisping excites me, he puts on exciting fights. Same with Mark Munoz. So all those guys in the top 6 or 7 of the weight class are so close in their skill-sets and abilities that any of the fights would be razor-thin, and little things would determine the winner. Who executes better, who’s in better shape, who enjoys a little bit of fortune on the night. All these things are factors, and any one of us could beat the other guy on any given night, and that’s what makes this sport so special.

JS: Great, and what are your thoughts on my compatriot Michael Bisping, obviously quite a polarising figure within the MMA community?

BS: I’ve made the mistake in the past of judging guys based on what I see in articles or TV. I promised I would never do that anymore. Honestly, I have never met Michael, I can’t tell you anything about him, aside from the fact he’s a very well-rounded fighter who’s constantly improving in all facets of the game. I’m sure our paths will cross in the future. But for me to judge him outside the cage based on interviews or articles would be a mistake. Often when fighters talk to the media it’s right before a fight so your mindset is different, or it’s right after a fight. This isn’t necessarily always an accurate portrayal of the person.

JS: Obviously you’re hugely popular within the organisation. What did you make of it when Wanderlei Silva declined an offer to fight you on the basis that he didn’t want to fight someone so popular in the US?

BS: I really didn’t make a big deal out of it. I knew asking to fight him was a long shot anyway. He is a true legend of the sport, and he is at the point in his career where he can pick and choose his battles. For guys that have that many fights and have worn that many belts, there’s nothing left for Wanderlei to prove in this sport. It’s very similar to where Randy Couture was at the twilight of his career, where it was more about the matchups that excited him rather than the titles. The matchup with me didn’t excite Wanderlei that much, and he didn’t want to deal with some of those things that he discussed. He was very respectful in doing so, and I hope that I’ve been equally as respectful in understanding. I’ll always be a Wanderlei Silva fan irrespective of whatever happens.

JS: Ok, moving onto Chael…you are recognised as one of the sport’s gents, and Chael is renowned for being outspoken and brash. However, it would appear from a recent interview I saw that you are both friends, or on good terms at least? In fact Chael went on record as stating that after Dana White, you are the person he most respects within the organisation. How do you react to that?

BS: Well, I wouldn’t say we’re really close friends. We don’t talk very often, but there is a mutual respect there. I trained with Chael years ago, before he became very outspoken, before he fought certain guys that ignited that style of marketing, so I feel I know Chael aside from the media and he’s a good guy. He has always been very respectful, kind and helpful towards me, especially when I trained in Portland for a week with Chael and Matt Lindland a while back. After that, we really didn’t communicate much at all together except for the fact that we shared a common mentor in a gentleman by the name of John Bardis, who has been a mentor of mine for several years now, and who is also the chairman of the board for Hire Heroes USA (http://www.hireheroesusa.org/). John has effectively been my boss at work, and he is also very close with Chael. Other than that, we don’t talk on a regular basis. We don’t call or text each other every day.

I think Chael really kept tabs on me through John, and was very proud of my development, knowing that when he had trained with me I was very raw, and most people didn’t believe I could pursue a career in MMA. He was always excited and happy to see me succeed, which is very kind of him, but when I was told by the UFC that we are scheduled to fight, my initial reaction wasn’t to question that on the basis of our relationship outside of the cage. It’s not out of lack of respect towards Chael, but I train with a lot of middleweights in my gym with whom I may have to use that “friend card” in the future.

Anyway, the UFC didn’t give me much leeway. They rang me up and told me who I was fighting, that it was the fight Dana White wanted. If that’s what the boss wants, then that’s fine. That’s who I am. If my team, or person in charge of me wants me to do something, then I’ll ordinarily oblige. It’s just one of those things. Ironically, just before the fight was proposed, Chael and I had started conversing about some of Chael’s friends in the Portland area who are veterans, and who needed help from Hire Heroes USA. He also mentioned that he didn’t have many training partners over there, and suggested that we get together. It made sense, with my striking and his wrestling it could be mutually beneficial, improving each other’s weaknesses.

JS: Ok, well you alluded to playing “the friend card”, and knowing your close bond with my native Englishman Tom “Kong” Watson, if the situation ever presented itself to fight Tom, how would you approach this sensitive topic?

BS: Well, here’s the deal. There’s only one belt, only one champion, so sometimes these scenarios crop up. If this situation arose where Tom was in the UFC, and they asked us to fight, it would be something where I’d call Tom directly to discuss it. We’d look at it both ways. Tom and I always tease each other by claiming that we’d like to fight each other, because we know how exciting the fight would be. And that statement is based on our kickboxing sparring sessions, which are absolutely exciting to watch. We beat on each other every day in the gym, without pulling punches. We know we’d get the fans on their feet. If it’s an opportunity where one of us needs that win for our career, the match is for a shot at the title, or in fact is for the title, maybe we’d have to put the friendship aside and go out there to compete with each other like we do every day at the gym. I’d rather lose to a great friend of mine than someone I’ve never met before.  But in all honesty, I’d love to avoid that situation. I’d never want to fight Tom, because he’s one of my closest friends in the sport.

The thing with the UFC is that it tends to reward exciting fighters. Two exciting fighters that go at it generally both prosper, so it’s a win-win situation. Careers invariably don’t take a massive hit if a fighter delivers excitement. 

JS: Ok, and you also alluded above to Chael’s current outward persona towards the media. Do you believe that his outspoken nature is primarily cultivated in order to enhance interest in his fights, therefore attributable to his marketing savvy?

BS: I know nothing for fact, but yes, I believe it is Chael’s marketing savvy. I believe a lot of it is marketing, but I also believe that Chael has a genuine dislike for some of his opponents which has led him to make certain statements. Whether that dislike is merited or not, I have no idea. I haven’t met the people he has criticised, I know nothing about it. It’s certainly not my style, and wouldn’t be the way that I approach harnessing the media prior to a fight.

JS: Conversely, what are you making of Chael’s Mr.Nice guy approach in the lead-up to your encounter? Does it surprise you at all?

BS: Not at all. In typical fashion, most people only remember the fights for which Chael was outspoken. They don’t remember the fights like against Dan Miller, Nate Marquardt and Yushin Okami, for which he was very respectful. Everyone tends to remember your last fight, and obviously prior to his title fight against Anderson Silva, Chael was outspoken, so perhaps people expected him to continue in this vein against me. I never expected him to talk smack on me, unless I had done something to upset him of which I wasn’t aware. With Chael, I think he is being genuine when he claims that he doesn’t manufacture conflict, but rather he will voice his opinion against a fighter who he dislikes.

JS: Right. Chael, like yourself, is also evidently a proud American, given he boasts the US flag on his walkout t-shirt. Being patriotic as he is about his own country, do you not think he has been a little insensitive to ridicule Brazil so flagrantly during recent interviews? Has he overstepped the mark by bringing nationality into his quips?

BS: I do not share any of the sentiments expressed by Chael. My BJJ coach is Roberto Traven, 1999 Abu Dhabi open class champion, from Rio de Janeiro. I have a great deal of respect for that country, its people, and what it has done for mixed martial arts. When I’m in Atlanta, most of my training partners are Brazilian so I have close Brazilian friends. In terms of what Chael has said, I have no idea why he has made the remarks about Brazil, you would have to ask him that. I don’t know what it is. If I had to guess I’d say he doesn’t really mean it, and that it’s just a marketing strategy.

JS: Obviously you will have seen some of Chael’s pre-fight antics for his previous encounters. Do you ordinarily find his pre-fight banter amusing?

BS: Yes, in most cases. I don’t agree with his criticisms of fighters or countries, but there are certainly a lot of things he does that generate interest in a fight. People are really going to root for or against him. The build-up made the Anderson Silva fight even more exciting. The fight was exciting itself regardless. Organisations often attempt to manufacture some trash-talk to generate interest around a fight. It’s no secret that when two guys talk trash about each other, and there’s an apparent dislike between them, then extra interest is generated. I don’t think the sport needs it, but characters like Chael Sonnen add value and entertainment to the sport.

JS: In terms of your approach to the fight, most people believe you hold the advantage on the feet, but will you also feel comfortable on the ground in the knowledge that Chael has previously been susceptible to submissions?

BS: Well, you know, Chael has been caught on several occasions, but it hasn’t been that often during his career, so I can’t go in there and depend on catching him with something off my back. There have been a lot more guys who he has fought that have ended up on their back and been pounded for three rounds. I feel there are areas where I have an advantage, and others where he has an advantage, and really it’s both of our jobs to neutralise the other person’s advantages. The difference is that Chael doesn’t have any one way of finishing this fight at any one moment, whereas I do, and in my eyes that’s the biggest difference in this fight. I can end this fight at any moment with a number of different strikes, either with my hands, feet, knees or elbows. He doesn’t have that ability, so he has to go in there, take me down and control me for three straight rounds to win this fight. I have to ensure he can’t do that.

JS: That’s fair enough. You mention his lack of raw KO power, but you must have been impressed with how proficient he looked on the feet against Anderson Silva, even tagging him and knocking him down a couple of times?

BS: There’s nothing easy at all about fighting Chael Sonnen, no matter where the fight takes place. Just because I believe I have an advantage in one particular area, doesn’t mean that I have a mile advantage. Chael has been competing in MMA since I was in highschool. He made his pro-debut in 1997, when I was a sophomore. Not to mention all the years he has spent wrestling. Wherever we fight this won’t be a cakewalk, I’m in for a fight. However, if he finds himself trading shots with me, that’s an advantage for me. Those are the situations I’m looking to create in this fight, whereas I don’t think he wants to find himself in those situations. If he’s in those situations, he’s going to be trading punches to get out of it, set up a takedown, clench up, or fight you at a distance. He’s too smart to just trade blows.

JS: Ok, so do you think you could be the first person to KO Chael Sonnen?

BS: Absolutely, I can knock anybody out. I have enough power to knock anybody out. With the right punch or kick, anybody can be knocked out. There is nobody who can’t be knocked out. One of the reasons Chael hasn’t been knocked out in his career is because, one he’s tough, and secondly he’s very good at sticking to his gameplan. You watch all his fights and you’ll see that there are very few guys that can defend against his style of fighting, which is to come out, attack you on the feet, create openings for a very good double-leg, single-leg, or body lock takedown, into a very controlling and relentless top game. Chael doesn’t just lay on you, he also attacks you when he’s on top. It’s very difficult to knock a guy out when he’s on top of you punching you in the face.

JS: Right, ultimately, is this fight the epitome of a battle of wills? Neither of you tends to take a backward step. I recently saw an interview in which you claimed to have more heart than Chael, but he also prides himself on his will. How do you break Chael’s will?

BS: You just have to keep going. Sometimes you find a guy that is willing to go to the same level as you are. I’ve got to hope he’s not willing to go to the same level that I’m willing to go to that night. And if he is, then I have to find another level. In my mind, of course I’m going to think that I have more heart and more mental toughness than anybody else in this sport, and I have to approach it that way. I’d expect nothing less than for Chael to come at me for 15 whole minutes, and it’ll make it a special fight for the fans.

JS: Sounds immense, I can’t wait for it. Cheers for your time today Brian, I really appreciate it.

BS: No problem Jonny, best of luck, and I look forward to seeing the piece.

Follow Brian on Twitter @BrianStann

Follow me on Twitter @jonathanshrager

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

5 MMA Fighters That Could Squash ‘The Spider’

Who can beat Anderson Silva?
This topic has been debated over and over again. Fighters that propose a great style match for the pound-for-pound kingpin have stepped up and been dispatched of like first class amateurs.
Like many great fighters, Silva ha…

Who can beat Anderson Silva?

This topic has been debated over and over again. Fighters that propose a great style match for the pound-for-pound kingpin have stepped up and been dispatched of like first class amateurs.

Like many great fighters, Silva has an aura that mesmerizes even his peers. His opponents tend to sit back and watch what he does instead of implementing their own game plans.

For example, Yushin Okami, a strong grappler, only made one half-hearted attempt at a takedown in his UFC 134 bout against Silva. He basically sat there as Silva danced on the outside and landed the inevitable punch that would end the fight.

After cleaning out all of the notable challengers in the middleweight division, Silva is left at a crossroads of rematches and jumping weight classes.

It’s tough to see Silva lose at this point, but as long as he keeps fighting, his time will come to take the inevitable plunge like the other all-time greats before himself.

If given the opportunity, here are five fighters with the best chance to squash “The Spider.”

Begin Slideshow

MMA Top 10 Middleweights: Anderson Silva Makes It Look Easy

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, Rankings, MiddleweightsThere’s plenty of talent in the middleweight division in the UFC. Vitor Belfort is pound-for-pound as hard a puncher as anyone in mixed martial arts. Chael Sonnen’s MMA wrestling is first-rate. Demi…

Filed under: , , ,

Anderson Silva defeated Yushin Okami in the main event of UFC 134.There’s plenty of talent in the middleweight division in the UFC. Vitor Belfort is pound-for-pound as hard a puncher as anyone in mixed martial arts. Chael Sonnen‘s MMA wrestling is first-rate. Demian Maia‘s Brazilian jiu jitsu is world class.

And yet when we survey the middleweight division, it almost feels like a pointless exercise. Anderson Silva has spent the last five years proving himself to be so far ahead of the rest of the 185-pound class that the rest of the division doesn’t seem all that interesting. At UFC 134, Silva spent one round measuring Yushin Okami, then made Okami look like a rank amateur in the second round.

So as we look at the top 10 middleweights in MMA, we’re looking at a list of talented fighters, all of whom have either already lost to Silva or would surely lose to Silva. He’s head and shoulders above the rest.

Top 10 Middleweights in MMA
(Editor’s note: The individual fighter’s ranking the last time we did middleweights are in parentheses.)

1. Anderson Silva (1): As great an offensive striker as Silva is, his stand-up defense may be even more impressive. Silva’s head movement is so good that he can stand right in front of his opponents with his chin up and his hands below his waist and know they’re not going to be able to hit him. He does things that no one else in combat sports can do.

2. Vitor Belfort (3): The combination of Belfort’s very impressive knockout of Yoshihiro Akiyama and Chael Sonnen’s continued inactivity gets Belfort a bump in the rankings. But while Belfort is saying he wants another shot at Silva, it’s hard to see why the UFC would do that. Belfort will need more than one win to get a rematch after Silva’s brutal knockout of Belfort in February.

3. Chael Sonnen (2): The one big fight left for Silva at middleweight is a rematch with Sonnen, who’s the only person who has really even challenged Silva in the UFC. If Sonnen beats Brian Stann at UFC 136, Silva-Sonnen 2 is the fight to make next.

4. Yushin Okami (4): Prior to meeting Silva, Okami had only been finished once in 31 pro fights, and that was almost eight years ago. Okami is a big, strong guy with a good chin, but Silva toyed with him. That’s how big the gap is between Silva and the rest of the Top 10 middleweights.

5. Mark Munoz (5): Munoz is the highest-ranked middleweight who hasn’t yet had a chance to face Silva, and his wrestling pedigree would make him an interesting matchup with the champion. We’re probably not going to see Munoz vs. Silva outside the Black House gym, however. Up next for Munoz is Chris Leben in the main event at UFC 138.

6. Demian Maia (6): Maia will try to rebound from his loss to Munoz with a fight against Jorge Santiago at UFC 136. Maia is only 3-3 in his last six fights and hasn’t submitted anyone since Chael Sonnen at UFC 95, and if he loses to Santiago, he’ll drop out of the Top 10.

7. Brian Stann (7): As a charismatic, articulate fighter who won a Silver Star for service in Iraq, Stann is a guy the UFC should want to put front and center on Fox: He’s just who the UFC brass should want representing them in front of a mainstream audience. If Stann beats Sonnen at UFC 136, would the UFC consider putting Stann in a middleweight title fight on Fox? Or would that fight be too lucrative on pay-per-view for the UFC to give it away for free?

8. Chris Leben (8): If Leben can beat Munoz in November, he might be able to make the case that he deserves a shot at the middleweight belt in 2012. But considering how easily Silva beat Leben the first time those two fought, a rematch probably wouldn’t be pretty for the Crippler.

9. Ronaldo Souza (9): Jacare is the Strikeforce middleweight champion, and one of the best Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioners in the world, but until he moves to the UFC and fights better competition it’s hard to move him any higher in the rankings. His next fight, with Luke Rockhold on September 10, shouldn’t be much of a challenge.

10. Michael Bisping (10): Bisping will coach The Ultimate Fighter and then fight Jason “Mayhem” Miller in December. A win there would get him close to title contention, although he’d likely need one more victory in 2012 before he’d get a crack at Silva.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Anderson Silva: The Rise of ‘The Spider’ and His 13-Win Streak in the UFC

Anderson “The Spider” Silva is on a 13-fight winning streak in the UFC: 8 coming by way of KO/TKO. 3 by way of Submission. 2 by Unanimous Decision. To date he has successfully defended his UFC middleweight title a record eight times. The on…

Anderson “The Spider” Silva is on a 13-fight winning streak in the UFC:

8 coming by way of KO/TKO.

3 by way of Submission.

2 by Unanimous Decision.

To date he has successfully defended his UFC middleweight title a record eight times. The only fighter to even come close to that record is current UFC welterweight champion George St. Pierre; who has successfully defended his title six times.

“The Spider” has won eight Fight Bonuses, more than any other fighter in the UFC, save for Chris “Lights Out” Lytle, with whom he shares the record.

Silva’s UFC Fight Bonuses: Knockout of the night; Rich Franklin, Fight and Submission of the night; Dan Henderson, Fight and Knockout of the night; Forrest Griffin, Fight and Submission of the night; Chael Sonnen and Knockout of the night; Vitor Belfort.

“The Spider” is set to defend his title for a record ninth time when he throws down with Yushin “Thunder” Okami on Aug. 27 at UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Okami is the same fighter who defeated Anderson Silva via disqualification.

That was more than five years ago at Rumble on the Rock 8. Yushin Okami won the fight by default; whilst Okami secured top position, Silva struck Okami with an up kick to his chin (temporarily rendering him unconscious) that was deemed to be illegal. And that was the reason for his disqualification.

For Anderson “The Spider” Silva; UFC 134 is all about Revenge, Resolution, but most of all; Redemption.

The indomitable Anderson Silva is indubitably, pound for pound the greatest mixed martial artist of his aeon.

He has dominated his contemporaries and destroyed his peers, and in doing so, has achieved both an iconic and venerated status amongst the aforementioned.

His pre-eminence is admired by the fans as well, whether they love him or despise him.

Since his debut in the UFC, no fighter yet has deciphered the enigma that is Anderson “The Spider” Silva.

Let’s take a look at his 13 hits:

Begin Slideshow

Dana White’s UFC Live on Versus 5 Video Blog Day 1

(Video courtesy of YouTube/UFC)

Since he’s on his way to Wisconsin for the lead-up media appearances for Sunday night’s UFC Live on Versus 5: Hardy vs. Lytle event, Dana White’s first video blog for the show is more of a recap of UFC 133, which is just as well.

It’s interesting to see Dana’s non reaction to Vitor Belfort’s win over Yoshihiro Akiyama. He can clearly be heard telling Lorenzo Fertitta that the finishing blows by “The Phenom” were to the back of “Sexyama’s” head. Neither UFC executive showed little emotion when Belfort came over to their side of the Octagon to let them know he’s back and White later said in an interview that the former UFC light heavyweight champion would have to chew on his loss to Anderson Silva for a while before he gets another title shot.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/UFC)

Since he’s on his way to Wisconsin for the lead-up media appearances for Sunday night’s UFC Live on Versus 5: Hardy vs. Lytle event, Dana White’s first video blog for the show is more of a recap of UFC 133, which is just as well.

It’s interesting to see Dana’s non reaction to Vitor Belfort’s win over Yoshihiro Akiyama. He can clearly be heard telling Lorenzo Fertitta that the finishing blows by “The Phenom” were to the back of “Sexyama’s” head. Neither UFC executive showed little emotion when Belfort came over to their side of the Octagon to let them know he’s back and White later said in an interview that the former UFC light heavyweight champion would have to chew on his loss to Anderson Silva for a while before he gets another title shot.

Another pair of interesting moments came when Rory MacDonald finished Mike Pyle and White was too busy texting or on tweeting to notice, and when Dennis Hallman came out in his grape smugglers and a disgusted Dana said that the shorts should be illegal.

Dana seemed genuinely freaked out when Rashad emerged from the dressing room wearing a splint following his win over Tito Ortiz, but according to Evans, it’s just a dislocation.