UFC 133 Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama: Early Head to Toe Breakdown

Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort and Yoshihiro Akiyama will meet at UFC 133 in a matchup that is very important for both competitors.

Belfort is coming off a huge loss to Anderson Silva and needs this win to stay relevant amongst the divisions top contenders.

Akiyama is coming off two losses and needs to win, otherwise he risks being cut by the UFC. Yoshihiro tends to be in exciting fights, so the UFC might keep him around for one more fight even if he loses. However, a loss to Belfort would definitely prove that Akiyama cannot compete with the division's best and drop him to gatekeeper status at best.

Win or lose, both fighters are known for putting on a good show, so this one is definitely a Fight of the Night candidate.

Let's see how these two stack up.

Experience

Vitor takes this hands down.

Akiyama has faced some tough competitors, but he hasn't dealt with the level of competition that Belfort has.

Vitor is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and the winner of the UFC 12 heavyweight tournament. He has been competing in mixed martial arts for 15 years and faced some of the best in the world.

Yoshihiro has only been competing in MMA for six years and he doesn't have nearly the accomplishments that Belfort has.

Edge: Vitor Belfort

Cardio

I don't envision cardio being a huge factor in this fight.

Neither fighter has tremendous cardio and tend to wilt a little bit towards the end of a three-round fight. However, both are gutty enough fighters that they usually manage to dig deep and fight hard until the final bell, despite their fatigue.

If this fight does go to a decision, both guys will be tired by the end, but not to the point that it's a major detriment to their performance.

Edge: Push

Striking

This one is a bit of a blow out.

Akiyama has respectable hands, but they are nowhere near as fast as Vitor's.

Thirteen of Belfort's 19 MMA victories have come by way of knockout and he has stood toe to toe with some of the greatest strikers out there.

Yoshihiro has good power in his hands, but his technical ability can't match Belfort's.

If Akiyama can't get this fight to the ground, it's going to be a very long night for him... or a very short one.

Edge: Vitor Belfort

Chin

Yoshihiro and Vitor have both faced dangerous strikers in their careers (Vitor more so) and both have only been KO'd once in their careers.

Belfort was knocked out by a front kick by current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 126.

Akiyama was knocked out by a knee way back in 2005.

Both combatants have shown that it will will take a devastating shot to put them away.

Edge: Push

Grappling

In terms of takedown ability, I expect Akiyama to hold the advantage.

Belfort is a black belt in judo, but Yoshihiro is a third dan black belt in judo.

Once the fight hits the ground, the situation is not as cut and dry.

Vitor is a somewhat accomplished submission grappler, winning third place in the ADCC 2001 Absolute Division and is also a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

On paper, it seems like Belfort might be able to reverse Akiyama once this fight hits the ground. However, "The Phenom's" track record shows that his grappling skills tend to fail him when he's put on his back.

Edge: Yoshihiro Akiyama

Submissions

Yoshihiro has proven throughout his career that his submission skills can be very crafty, as the majroity of his wins have come by submission.

Belfort has never been known for his submissions. In fact, he has just two submission victories ever.

What Vitor is known for is his submission defense. When he competed in submission grappling, he never submitted his opponents. He just controlled them and his opponents were unable to submit him.

The only man to ever submit Vitor is Alistair Overeem, who is an accomplished submission grappler himself.

Ultimately, I think Akiyama has the better offensive jiu-jitsu, but Belfort's defensive jiu-jitsu will be enough to thwart any of Yoshihiro's submission attempts.

Edge: Push

Winner?

Each fighter's strategy in this fight should be pretty obvious.

Vitor has significantly superior striking, so he is going to want to keep this fight on his feet.

Akiyama knows that he has the disadvantage standing, so he'll want to get this to the ground.

"The Phenom" is easily the best striker Yoshihiro has ever faced and I think he is going to get overwhelmed.

I could see Akiyama getting a couple takedowns in the first round, but he's not going to be able to do anything with Belfort on the ground and when the fight is one the feet it's just a matter of time.

I see Vitor rocking Yoshihiro in the second round and following up with enough punches to have it stopped.

Winner: Vitor Belfort via Second-Round TKO