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.
Fresh off his knockout victory over Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133, Vitor Belfort has now had some time to reflect on his latest win. In an interview with CagedInsider.com, Belfort said he was very grateful to earn the victory over the Japanese star…
Fresh off his knockout victory over Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133, Vitor Belfort has now had some time to reflect on his latest win.
In an interview with CagedInsider.com, Belfort said he was very grateful to earn the victory over the Japanese star and appears to be in the best shape in his career, despite the critics writing him off following his loss to Anderson Silva at UFC 126.
“The truth is the Vintage Vitor never left,” Belfort said.
“If you look at my record, I won 4 of my last five fights by KO and was knocked out once. I’ve had some ups and downs in my personal life but I have overcame them.”
Belfort unleashed a flurry on Akiyama that had stunned him and dropped him to the canvas at 1:50 into the first round. Coincidentally, Akiyama attempted the same front kick that had finished the Brazilian in his last bout, however Belfort read the move and timed his attack shortly after.
Although Belfort got the win, there are some who believed he landed a few illegal strikes to the back of his opponent’s head—obviously a cause for concern, but Belfort said the shots were unintentional.
“The referee was very close watching everything. Looking back it was only one strike to the back of the head, the other was on the side. It’s a fight and things like this happen sometimes unintentionally,” he explained.
For now, the Brazilian will rest and savour his victory as he officially put the middleweight division on notice, including the champion, Silva. But despite his interest for a rematch with the champion, Belfort will have to seek another challenger elsewhere for the time being. And he said he is content with the idea.
“I will just get myself ready for my next opponent. I work for the UFC and whoever they say I fight I will,” he said.
(“Expect punches to the back of the head, every fight bro.”)
Tatame caught up with Vitor Belfort following his impressive victory over Yoshihiro Akiyama Saturday night at UFC 133 and the former UFC light heavyweight champion said he isn’t letting Dana White’s statement that he needs to “chew on” his loss to Anderson Silva for a while deter him from keeping his eye on the middleweight belt.
He says that his number one goal is to get another shot at Silva, or whomever holds the belt at the time, so he can make up for his poor showing the last time he fought for the belt at UFC 126 in February.
“That’s my wish. I don’t know what they’ll decide. I don’t know what the fans want to see and since UFC guys will evaluate the situation, saying who deserves a title shot or not… I want to fight for the belt and I’ll run through everybody who stands in my way.That’s my goal.”
(“Expect punches to the back of the head, every fight bro.”)
Tatame caught up with Vitor Belfort following his impressive victory over Yoshihiro Akiyama Saturday night at UFC 133 and the former UFC light heavyweight champion said he isn’t letting Dana White’s statement that he needs to “chew on” his loss to Anderson Silva for a while deter him from keeping his eye on the middleweight belt.
He says that his number one goal is to get another shot at Silva, or whomever holds the belt at the time, so he can make up for his poor showing the last time he fought for the belt at UFC 126 in February.
“That’s my wish. I don’t know what they’ll decide. I don’t know what the fans want to see and since UFC guys will evaluate the situation, saying who deserves a title shot or not… I want to fight for the belt and I’ll run through everybody who stands in my way.That’s my goal.”
“The Phenom” said that he was happy with his win over “Sexyama” and that his patience in the fight and his advanced level of conditioning, which is a result of years of experience and the right mix of coaches, made the difference in the bout.
“When I’m fighting, I always want and outcome like this one, but it’s not always that things go according to our plan, but I always go for the KO and that’s my expectation every time I’m fighting,” he explains. “That’s the mature Phenom. If the time goes by and the guy doesn’t get more mature, it’s a waste of time. I’m more mature and I’ve changed some things in my trainings, like using the natural gym with my coach Alvinho (Alvaro Romano), I added many things from my past and some new things I’ve learned. We combined it all and brought a Vintage Belfort. With no doubts, I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in my entire career, I’m feeling like a 19 years old boy with the maturity of a 34 years old man.”
If he doesn’t get his wish of a title shot in his next appearance, Belfort says fans can expect him to go out and prove that he deserves a shot in the coming months.
“You can hope I’ll bring my A game, that’s the only thing I can promise my fans: I’ll give my best on my next goals towards a new chance at the belt.”
If you train in any area of Mixed Martial Arts or even if only a fight fan, you’ve undoubtedly heard of Hayabusa Fightwear. Some notable fighters sponsored by Hayabusa Fightwear include, Lyoto “The Dragon Machida”, Alistair Overeem, S…
If you train in any area of Mixed Martial Arts or even if only a fight fan, you’ve undoubtedly heard of Hayabusa Fightwear.
Some notable fighters sponsored by Hayabusa Fightwear include, Lyoto “The Dragon Machida”, Alistair Overeem, Stephan Bonner and Yoshihiro Akiyama.
Hayabusa Fightwear arguably make the very best fightwear and fight gear that money can buy and they’ve added an incredible new line of MMA training gear to their already amazing line of ass-kicking products; the Hayabusa Kanpeki Elite Series.
The word Kanpeki is of Japanese origin and means “perfection” in English and I can think of no better way to describe the product line.
Fashioned from top-quality, full-grain leather, each exquisitely beautiful piece of gear is constructed to last.
Functionality meets style with the Kanpeki line. Not a single centimeter of material went un-scrutinized. Everything was perfectly engineered down to the smallest details.
Hayabusa Fightwear represents the true spirit of a fighter.
I will be individually reviewing four separate pieces of training and sparring gear from the Hayabusa Kanpeki Elite Series in this Bleacher Report MMA featured slideshow.
Few fighters have a more fan-friendly style than Chris Leben and Wanderlei Silva. The kill-or-be-killed strikers will go toe-to-toe in the center of the Octagon at UFC 132 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. this Saturday night.For Leben, …
Few fighters have a more fan-friendly style than Chris Leben and Wanderlei Silva.
The kill-or-be-killed strikers will go toe-to-toe in the center of the Octagon at UFC 132 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. this Saturday night.
For Leben, reverence for the former PRIDE 205-pound titleholder who reigned over Japan for five years as champion results in a Fight of the Night, Fight of the Year, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“I always wanted to fight Wanderlei Silva. I’ve been kind of jokingly talking about it with friends for years. It’d be great if he came down. I know he fought Rich Franklin at ’95 and da, da, da, maybe I can go up to fight him—whatever,” The Ultimate Fighter alumni told Bleacher Report. “When I stepped in and fought [Yoshihiro] Akiyama for him, I felt that that earned me the shot.”
The dramatic third-round submission win against Akiyama was Leben’s second victory in two weeks—the rarest of accomplishments in the UFC. Silva has been without a belt since 2007, but his legendary stature in the sport causes even the most grizzled veteran like Leben to speak of earning a shot simply to face him as if he still held a belt.
With a fight anyone, anywhere, anytime attitude, Leben admitted, “It’s one of the few fights I’ve really, really wanted. I’m excited about it.”
The flu bit Leben before a New Year’s Day 2011 defeat where Brian Stann became the first fighter to (T)KO him since Anderson Silva five years earlier. Despite the stunning first-round loss, the Hawaii-based fighter is optimistic the setback hasn’t hurt his stride going into a fight with “The Axe Murderer.”
“I think the timing and the way everything is working out is absolutely perfect for me,” he said. “This is the best Chris Leben 100 percent. This is the best I’ve ever been. I can’t wait to show that come Saturday night.”
Leben credits his family, friends and training partners with helping him stick to his diet more so than any other bout in his career. Never missing a chance to pay respect to his opponent for this contest, Leben extended his gratitude toward the Brazilian for a stellar training camp.
“Also, I got to thank Wanderlei for that because there’s nothing more motivating than the fear of a coma.,” said the nine-year veteran. “The thought of me fighting Wanderlei is really giving me the power to do everything I do for my diet, everything I need to do in the training room.”
“The Crippler” battling “The Axe Murderer” sets lofty expectations for violence. Leben color-coordinated his favorite pre-fight ritual—painting his hair—accordingly.
“I went with the classic blood red, the whole deal because I need as much power as I can get. For me, it changes things,” he said of dyeing his hair. “I look in the mirror, I see my hair is on. I know that’s my game face. I know its time to go to work.”
Nineteen fights into his UFC career, Leben longs for the defining moments a slugfest brings forth. Win or lose, he can count on Silva to contribute memorable exchanges to a career built on starching opponent’s brain cells.
A title is nice and sure it’s the goal, but fans remember two fighter’s fearlessly throwing down like they do belts. What Leben lacks in gold he guarantees he makes up for in entertainment value.
“I just want to have epic fights where people can go back and say, ‘Your career is like a highlight reel,’” concluded Leben.
Follow Danny Acosta on twitter.com/acostaislegend.
In Yoshihiro Akiyama’s short UFC career he has earned a Fight of the Night bonus in every fight. The only problem is he has gone 1-2, winning a very close fight at UFC 100 and dropping his last two fights. Akiyama has been entertaining to watch, …
In Yoshihiro Akiyama’s short UFC career he has earned a Fight of the Night bonus in every fight.
The only problem is he has gone 1-2, winning a very close fight at UFC 100 and dropping his last two fights.
Akiyama has been entertaining to watch, but entertaining losses can only get you so far.
Akiyama is 13-3 (2) overall in his career. The Japanese star has shown his great chin and ability to dish out shots just as hard as he can take them.
A combination of Akiyama’s cardio and poor planning have been his downfall in the last two fights.
Akiyama opened up strong in both bouts. Akiyama got the better of Chris Leben for much of their fight. Leben took advantage of a gassed Akiyama though, defeating him by submission with seconds left.
Akiyama faced Michael Bisping next, rocking the Brit in the first round. Bisping became more technical in his striking in the next two rounds and won the fight by decision.
Akiyama is never in a boring fight and as one of Japan’s top stars, he is a great asset to the UFC.
But Akiyama will have to do more in order to keep his job.
One step in the right direction would be to defeat his next opponent, Vitor Belfort at UFC 133.
Belfort was the most recent victim of middleweight champion Anderson Silva. A win over Belfort would put Akiyama’s career back on track.
Akiyama will come in highly motivated to win. Not just to keep his job, but as a dedication to the people who have had to suffer because of the terrible earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March.
If the fight is an exciting one and Akiyama loses, I don’t believe he will lose his job just yet. He will be on the chopping block, however, if he can’t turn it around.
Akiyama has international appeal and is an exciting fighter. But seeing him cut may become a reality if he does not win.
Fresh off his knockout victory over Yoshihiro Akiyama at 