Tag: Vitor Belfort

UFC 126 Middleweight Title Breakdown: Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveLAS VEGAS — For the first time in his UFC career, Anderson Silva showed real vulnerability during his fifth-round submission victory over Chael Sonnen last August. For four-and-a-half rounds, Sonnen controlled the a…

Filed under: ,

LAS VEGAS — For the first time in his UFC career, Anderson Silva showed real vulnerability during his fifth-round submission victory over Chael Sonnen last August. For four-and-a-half rounds, Sonnen controlled the action with takedowns and groundwork. Given his wrestling pedigree, that development wasn’t necessarily a stunner. What was more surprising was the fact that Sonnen was able to use his standup so effectively, even hurting Silva with a solid left at one point in the first round.

For the longest time, it seemed that trading firepower with Silva was a sure way to seal defeat. No one’s ever outstruck him during his record 12-fight octagon win streak, and the man has always had an iron chin, but given the developments of Silva’s last fight as well as his advancing age (he’s three months shy of his 36th birthday), you have to wonder if it was a simple aberration or the beginning of a trend.

The man tasked with testing those possibilities at UFC 126 is Vitor Belfort, a 33-year-old Brazilian who is coming off a lengthy layoff from shoulder surgery following a first-round knockout of Rich Franklin. That win came way back in Sept. 2009, meaning Belfort will have to find a way to fight off ring rust and regain his past form in order to beat the longest-reigning champ in UFC history.

Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort: Staredown of the Year Candidate

(Oh, I’d say it’s beyond ‘real’ at this point. Props: SurferKenTV3 and Biggie Smalls)
In case you missed it at Wednesday’s press conference, here’s video of the rather intense staredown between UFC 126 main eventers Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfor…

(Oh, I’d say it’s beyond ‘real’ at this point. Props: SurferKenTV3 and Biggie Smalls)

In case you missed it at Wednesday’s press conference, here’s video of the rather intense staredown between UFC 126 main eventers Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort. Silva claims there’s nothing personal about Saturday’s match with "The Phenom," although Silva was reportedly upset that Belfort accepted the fight in the first place, considering they were former training partners. Weigh-ins for UFC 126 go down tonight at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT, so brace yourself for more uncomfortable closeness between the two Brazilian stars.

After the jump: Belfort tells his hero Ariel Helwani that Anderson’s attitude is just giving him more motivation for the fight.

read more

UFC 126 Video: Anderson Silva Says Vitor Belfort Fight Isn’t Personal

Filed under: , , ,

LAS VEGAS — MMA Fighting briefly spoke to Anderson Silva at Thursday’s UFC 126 media workouts about sparring with his 12-year-old son, whether his fight against Vitor Belfort isn’t personal and more.

Filed under: , , ,

LAS VEGAS — MMA Fighting briefly spoke to Anderson Silva at Thursday’s UFC 126 media workouts about sparring with his 12-year-old son, whether his fight against Vitor Belfort isn’t personal and more.

Vitor Belfort Says Anderson Silva’s Demeanor Is Motivating Him

Filed under: , , ,

LAS VEGAS — Vitor Belfort has officially made it all the way back to the UFC, fighting for the title on Saturday night against Anderson Silva at UFC 126. MMA Fighting talked to “The Phenom” on Thursday about leaving the organization in 2005, their staredown on Wednesday and what he expects to see from Silva come fight night.

Filed under: , , ,

LAS VEGAS — Vitor Belfort has officially made it all the way back to the UFC, fighting for the title on Saturday night against Anderson Silva at UFC 126. MMA Fighting talked to “The Phenom” on Thursday about leaving the organization in 2005, their staredown on Wednesday and what he expects to see from Silva come fight night.

Watch This Dude Break James Toney’s Record for the Fastest Firing of a Zuffa Employee

(Video courtesy YouTube/UFC)
The best part of Dana White’s most recent video blog was getting to re-watch the UFC’s new Portuguese translator fail miserably at his job and basically get shit-canned on the spot by the company’s president within a few mi…


(Video courtesy YouTube/UFC)

The best part of Dana White’s most recent video blog was getting to re-watch the UFC’s new Portuguese translator fail miserably at his job and basically get shit-canned on the spot by the company’s president within a few minutes of starting his new role with Zuffa at yesterday’s UFC 126 press conference. Seriously, we figured it was going to be tough for anyone to beat James Toney’s mark of 3:19, but this dude did it, and did it in style.

First the guy finishes one of his suspiciously brief translations of a long-winded response by Anderson Silva with, "That’s the essence of [what he said]," then he admitted that he wasn’t paying attention to one of the Brazilian reporter’s questions, which is odd considering it’s, I don’t know….HIS JOB to translate the questions and answers for the press conference.

White didn’t pull any punches with the disinterested translator who was hired in response to criticism that the UFC’s former translator, Ed Soares, was guilty of sugar coating and sometimes purposely mistranslating some of the less complimentary statements his fighters like Silva and Junior dos Santos made during post-fight interviews. When his latest hire screwed up, White snapped and told the guy, who seemed out of place in a room full of fight fans and reporters (to say the least) to hand the microphone to Soares.

Note to future applicants: Wait until your probation period is up before getting fired. That way you can at least walk away with benefits and a 401K. This dude barely had UFC entered as his employer on Facebook and now he has to explain to all the people in his book club and birdwatching society that he is unemployed again.

Dana White Expects Silva vs. Belfort Will Be Great … Or Terrible

(“Give it up for Detlef Schrempf, everbody.” PicProps: The MMA Space)
You get the impression that Dana White still wakes up screaming about Abu Dhabi. Clearly, though White is holding white-knuckle tight to his belief that Anderson Silva is…


(“Give it up for Detlef Schrempf, everbody.” PicProps: The MMA Space)

You get the impression that Dana White still wakes up screaming about Abu Dhabi. Clearly, though White is holding white-knuckle tight to his belief that Anderson Silva is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, “The Spider” hasn’t totally worked his way out of the boss’ doghouse after that debacle against Demian Maia … and Thales Leites before that … and Patrick Cote before that. For that reason, White tells USA Today’s Sergio Non this week that he’s taking an “expect the best, prepare for the worst” approach to Silva’s middleweight title defense against Vitor Belfort this Saturday at UFC 126.

Check it out after the jump, where we’ve taken the liberty of changing all of White’s swears back to the words he intended since – you know – this isn’t an edited-for-television movie and none of us are six years old. And dear God, if you are six years old, log off at once. Where are your parents?

read more