UFC 103 Aftermath: Is Vitor Belfort Ready For Anderson Silva?

On a night when the UFC went head-to-head with a major boxing event, everyone is now speculating on which event drew the highest ratings.

Whether or not the UFC comes out victorious in this ratings battle shouldn’t matter because the fact is UFC 103 was one of the most explosive cards of the year thus far.

The fighters put it all on the line inside the Octagon tonight showcasing a true display of what MMA is all about. Even if the boxing event headlined by the return of Floyd Mayweather outdid the UFC in PPV buys the UFC put forth a night of exciting matchups that left the Dallas crowd and everyone at home watching on Pay-Per-View wanting more.

Now that UFC 103 is in the past we must begin to focus on the future. For as many questions as the event answered, it presented even more.

What’s next for Efrain Escudero and Tyson Griffin?

Ultimate Fighter winner Escudero and Xtreme Couture standout Griffin both scored impressive knockout victories tonight over Cole Miller and Hermes Franca respectively. Not only have both fighters made a huge splash in the lightweight division waters but they also proved they have what it takes to finish fights without relying primarily on their wrestling backgrounds.

Season eight TUF champion Escudero is a highly marketable fighter and factoring in his Mexican roots means he can be a strong asset to the UFC fan base in Mexico. He shouldn’t be rushed into high profile bouts with legit contenders just yet. On the contrary he can’t be hand-fed lower tier opponents either because we don’t want to turn him into the Michael Bisping of the 155-pound division.

Griffin on the other hand deserves bouts with the top sharks in the division in order to work his way up into title contention. An intriguing bout would be for Griffin to take on the winner of the Spencer Fisher/Joe Stevenson bout that is taking place at UFC 104 next month.

Was Frank Trigg’s return to the UFC short lived?

After getting knocked out by devastating strikes from Josh Koscheck in the first round of his Octagon return many are wondering if Trigg will be cut from the UFC roster. Trigg can cry early stoppage all he wants but the fact is he lost to a much better, much younger fighter.

That being said it’s doubtful the UFC will release Trigg after just one loss. Trigg is a big name fighter and the man still has the heart to compete. Let him remain under contract and put him up against a lower tier prospect like Jake Ellenberger in his next bout.

Is Paul Daley in the mix for a Welterweight title shot?

British kick boxer Daley shook up the entire 170-pound division with his incredible upset victory over heavily favored Martin Kampmann.

Prior to the bout Kampmann was considered to be in line for a shot against Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, but all of that came crashing down in two minutes and 31 seconds as Daley landed a left hand and followed with ten unanswered strikes for a standing TKO stoppage.

Although an impressive victory it’s hard to believe that 'Semtex' will be challenging for the title in his next bout. He will however get an opportunity to earn a title shot against another top ten contender such as Mike Swick—who was originally supposed to fight Kampmann on this card but pulled out due to injury—or Carlos Condit.

The welterweight division is very cloudy right now and there isn’t a clear cut No. 1 contender that stands out. The UFC has ample time to develop a new contender as St. Pierre will be sidelined until February with an injury.

An interesting matchup that could determine said contender would be a bout between Koscheck and former Welterweight champ Matt Hughes. In his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan Koscheck called out Hughes and got a good reaction from the crowd. A bout between the two would not only be an absolute barn burner but it would be a good step in determining St. Pierre’s next victim.

Should Mirko Cro Cop retire?

When it was announced that MMA legend Cro Cop would be making his return to the Octagon his supporters were confident that the Croatian superstar would make a full comeback and eventually capture the UFC Heavyweight championship.

When Cro Cop dispatched of Mustapha al Turk at UFC 99 those same fans claimed their favorite fighter would be the one to end Heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar’s reign of dominance. Then they were all brought back down to reality as Dos Santos brutally beat Cro Cop down for three rounds forcing the PRIDE Grand Prix winner to submit from punches.

The man who was once the most feared heavyweight striker on the planet looked scared and uncomfortable against Dos Santos. You can’t help but feel bad for Cro Cop after his performance tonight but that being said let’s not completely count him out either.

He still has some fights left in him and hopefully he can bounce back with some impressive victories. Since he is one of the smallest fighters in the heavyweight division one has to wonder the benefits he would acquire if able to drop down to 205-pounds. 

Not only would he not have to deal with overpowering Goliaths but it would also open the door for several interesting matchups.

Is Junior Dos Santos the future of the Heavyweight division?

Nicknamed 'Cigano', Dos Santos opened up a lot of eyes with his domination of MMA legend Cro Cop upping his UFC record to a perfect 3-0. At the ripe age of 25 the sky is the limit for this Brazilian wrecking machine.

Dos Santos is clearly one of the most devastating strikers in the division and poses threats to the majority of UFC heavyweights. Though he still has holes in his game that would be exploited by top fighters like Frank Mir or Brock Lesnar, he has all the time in the world to evolve into one of the greatest heavyweights in the world.

The young lion is ready for a higher caliber opponent in his next bout and fellow Brazilian Gabriel Gonzaga fits the bill. A bout between the two would be something straight out of an old monster film as these two behemoths would be standing toe-to-toe throwing bombs.


Is Vitor Belfort ready for Anderson Silva?

Belfort’s return to the Octagon was a successful one as he took out former UFC Middleweight champion Rich Franklin just three minutes into the first round. The Phenom will now drop back down to the 185-pound division where he will look to capture the divisions crown from current champion and pound-for-pound kingpin Anderson Silva.

The question is, will he have to earn a title shot with a victory over a top middleweight contender or has his victory over Franklin solidified his spot as the No. 1 contender?

With top middleweights Nate Marquardt and Dan Henderson patiently waiting in line for a rematch against Silva, the right thing to do would be to match Belfort up with another top middleweight and give the next title shot to either Marquardt or Henderson.

On the flip side the more marketable bout would be Belfort challenging Silva as it wasn’t too long ago that fans saw Silva dominate both Hendo and Marquardt. Belfort presents a newer, fresher matchup for Silva and believe it or not some fans believe Belfort has what it takes to dethrone the champion.

Either way the UFC has plenty of time to come up with a decision as Silva will be sidelined for the rest of the year and won’t be defending his title until mid-2010.