TUF Brazil: Wanderlei Silva vs. Vitor Belfort Breakdown

Recently, old rivals Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort were dubbed the coaches for the all Brazil season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Both men have enjoyed success in the mixed martial arts world, with Belfort claiming the UFC title while Silva stormed through most of the competition in Pride, where he claimed the 205-pound belt as well.

The duo originally met many years ago at UFC Brazil in 1998, where Belfort blitzed his fellow countryman with punches in bunches, earning the the TKO finish in just 44 seconds of action.

Now the famed fighters will first serve as opposing coaches before meeting each other in the cage in 2012. 

Both Belfort and Silva Are Underrated Grapplers

You don't see it enough, but both Silva and Belfort are black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Belfort earned his rank under the late, great Carlson Gracie, who was the son of Carlos Gracie, who co-founded BJJ with his brother, Helio. 

Whilst in the Pride organization, Belfort defeated Bobby Southworth, a future Strikeforce light heavyweight champion and Season 1 veteran of The Ultimate Fighter. After dropping the AKA star to the mat, Belfort cinched up a rear-naked choke inside of the first round.

Silva also owns a notable rear-naked choke victory over Bob Schrijber, a legendary kickboxer who hails from Holland and is now head trainer to UFC heavyweight Stefan Struve.

For either man to gain an advantage on the ground against one another, the action will be decided by their wrestling prowess, which neither man his been too keen on. 

Belfort Is a Much More Technical Striker

Both Belfort and Silva have made their careers based on the devastating and aesthetically pleasing way they have finished fights.

"The Axe Murderer" hails from a muay thai background, courtesy of his training regime with the famed Chute Boxe Academy.

Though he is no longer with the team, he has since re-established himself with former head trainer Rafael Cordeiro out of the Kings MMA school.

In his last outing, Silva showed the kind of form that garnered him two world titles whilst in Pride, when he took on former Strikeforce champion Cung Le. Silva attacked with head kicks, elbows and some vicious knees, which set up the TKO victory inside of the second round.

However, his whirlwind dervish kind of style makes him the victim of his own success, as Silva often wades into battles with reckless abandonment, leaving himself open for a counter, which has yielded several knockout losses as of late.

Belfort comes from a successful amateur boxing background and has since added kicks and knees to his already diverse striking arsenal. 

His technical prowess will allow him to execute his strikes at the correct, opportune times while staving off all oncoming attacks from the wide-throwing Silva. 

Belfort Scores the Knockout

Belfort doesn't just hit hard as a middleweight, but when the Brazilian began his career as an undersized heavyweight, he was laying waste to opponents left and right. 

Now in the 185-pound division, Belfort is arguably the heaviest hitter in the division given the fact that "The Phenom" hasn't procured too much damage throughout his career, not unlike Silva, who has suffered five knockout losses in his last nine fights. 

Expect Belfort to wait for the bum rush from Silva, angle away and look to counter with a huge left hook, knocking out Silva well before he hits the deck.