(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)
VITOR BELFORT IS BACK
With a resounding victory over longtime UFC headliner Rich Franklin, Vitor Belfort answered any remaining questions about his ability to succeed in the current UFC landscape.
But it wasn't the "old Vitor", as so many people are fond of saying. That version of Belfort would have jumped in swinging and immediately gone for the kill, risking it all for one wild shot at finishing the fight in spectacular fashion.
No, this was a very different Vitor, a "new Vitor."
It's been publicized that Belfort began training in Machida Karate prior to this bout, and you can see touches of Machida's style all over Belfort here. From the simple, unmoving karate stance to the patience that allows you to wait for an opening before striking, Belfort's style had Lyoto Machida written all over it. And that's a very dangerous thing for the rest of the middleweight division.
Dana White told us at the post-fight press conference that Belfort would receive the next title shot at Anderson Silva. This is the fight White has been longing to make for months, ever since going on Spike television and talking about Belfort while the Brazilian was still under Affliction contract. Any type of win from Belfort over Franklin would earn him a title shot; luckily it was an emphatic one.
Can Belfort beat Silva? It's tough to say. Silva is still the best in the world and can beat anyone at any moment in time. Belfort, however, has the tools to end the Spider's championship reign, and he'll get his chance in early 2010.
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