Latest Vitor Belfort Stories
Dana White Details Selection of Anderson Silva's UFC 112 Opponent
By Mike ChiappettaPosted: Feb 18th 2010 11:16 AM
In the wake of Vitor Belfort's shoulder injury, UFC President Dana White and matchmaker Joe Silva were left with a decision regarding the status of middleweight champion Anderson Silva. They could pull him off the UFC 112 card, move him up to fight a non-title light-heavyweight bout or find another contender to replace Belfort.
White and Silva chose option three.
During Thursday's UFC press conference, White detailed the thought-process behind choosing Demian Maia to oppose the champ.
If Maia Beats Silva, MMA Middleweight Division Is a Mess
By Michael David SmithPosted: Feb 13th 2010 10:55 AM
Since Anderson Silva knocked out Rich Franklin at UFC 64 in 2006, there's been an undisputed king of the middleweight division in mixed martial arts. The rankings of the best middleweights in the sport have seen their share of shakeups, but no one doubted that the UFC middleweight champion was at the top of the heap.
It's also been generally understood since then that if any middleweight could beat Silva, that man would be at the top of the middleweight rankings. Sure, Patrick Cote and Thales Leites were relatively weak opponents who didn't seriously threaten Silva, but Cote and Leites were each on five-fight winning streaks when they fought Silva. There's something fundamentally different about Silva's newest opponent, Demian Maia.
UFC 112: Anderson Silva vs. Who?
By Michael David SmithPosted: Feb 12th 2010 7:30 PM
So who is Silva fighting? We offer some odds below.
Report: Chael Sonnen Will Not Face Anderson Silva at UFC 112
By Mike ChiappettaPosted: Feb 12th 2010 5:28 PM
The search for an opponent for Anderson Silva continues, as Chael Sonnen is crossed off the list.
Yahoo Sports spoke to the surging middleweight Friday and he told them he would not be offered a chance to replace the injured Vitor Belfort and face Silva at UFC 112.
UFC President Dana White told MMA Fighting early Friday morning that Silva would still fight at the event, scheduled for April 10 in Abu Dhabi, and that he would fight at middleweight, indicating a title defense.
Vitor Belfort Undergoes Successful Surgery, Out Four Months
By Mike ChiappettaPosted: Feb 12th 2010 11:43 AM
UFC middleweight contender Vitor Belfort has already undergone successful shoulder surgery and is expected to be out of training for at least four months, a source told MMA Fighting.
Belfort had suffered through shoulder pain since mid-2009 and had undergone several anti-inflammatory injections since that time, including leading up to his Sept. 2009 match with Rich Franklin, a fight he won by first-round TKO to set up his expected title match with Anderson Silva.
MMA Top 10 Middleweights: Chael Sonnen Moving Up
By Michael David SmithPosted: Feb 12th 2010 7:00 AM
It's hard to envision Sonnen giving Anderson Silva much of a fight, but then again it's hard to envision anyone at 185 pounds giving Anderson Silva much of a fight. And since Sonnen's record is now 24-10-1, and since Sonnen has now dominated three very good fighters -- Marquardt, Yushin Okami and Dan Miller -- in his last three fights, it's hard to argue that Sonnen should be next in line in the UFC.
See how Sonnen and the rest of the middleweight division stack up in our latest rankings of the top 10 middleweights in MMA.
Dana White Says Anderson Silva Will Still Fight at UFC 112
By Mike ChiappettaPosted: Feb 12th 2010 1:08 AM
Though an injury will keep Vitor Belfort from competing during the UFC's maiden voyage to Abu Dhabi, middleweight champion Anderson Silva is still expected to fight at UFC 112, UFC President Dana White told MMA Fighting early Friday morning.
Belfort injured his shoulder in training and will require surgery.
White gave no indication as to who Silva might face, but said the fight will be in the middleweight division, indicating that "the Spider" will indeed defend his belt. At last Saturday's UFC 109, Chael Sonnen soundly defeated Nate Marquardt and was promised a title shot after Belfort and Silva squared off. Now, with Belfort out, Sonnen seems the most likely possibility, but no sure thing.
Sonnen Victory Tour Continues With Political Appearance on Fox News
By Mike ChiappettaPosted: Feb 11th 2010 1:02 PM
It's possible that by the end of the year, Chael Sonnen could be introduced as the UFC middleweight champion and an Oregon state representative.
The man who became the next in line for a crack at the 185-pound crown after Vitor Belfort and Anderson Silva's scheduled title bout is an aspiring politician, and he got a nice boost to his early campaign efforts by appearing on Fox News this morning.
Chael Sonnen Follows Blueprint of Trash Talk, Cage Success to Title Shot
By Mike ChiappettaPosted: Feb 9th 2010 8:39 AM
Just days ago, Chael Sonnen was ripping Anderson Silva for wearing earrings and pink shirts, and "pretending that he doesn't speak English." He was calling him "a bum" and saying he'd really rip into the champ after he beat Nate Marquardt after UFC 109.
The rest of us couldn't help but ask if the guy was crazy. Not only was he trash-talking the man who many consider the pound-for-pound MMA king (Sonnen also takes exception to that), but he also basically promised a win over Marquardt?
Ridiculous, some thought. But the man with the golden mouth has the last word. He's had plenty to say about Silva, and now -- as the sudden and surprising No. 1 contender for the belt that Silva has owned since 2006 -- he'll have plenty of time to think about possibly fighting him.
Chael Sonnen Upsets Nate Marquardt, Wins Title Shot
By Mike ChiappettaPosted: Feb 7th 2010 12:11 AM
With the win, Sonnen gets a crack at the middleweight championship, to be decided when Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort face off later this year.
UFC Announces First Outdoor Event
By Ray HuiPosted: Jan 27th 2010 9:18 AM
For the first time in UFC history, the fights will take place outdoors when the promotion debuts with UFC 112 on April 10 in Abu Dhabi, the UFC announced Wednesday.
As MMA Fighting previously reported, the two main events set for the card are title fights between champ Anderson Silva against Vitor Belfort and titleholder BJ Penn versus Frankie Edgar. Also, Renzo Gracie will make his debut against former champion Matt Hughes.
Shawn Tompkins on Joining TapouT, Training Coleman for Couture, Belfort
By Mike ChiappettaPosted: Jan 6th 2010 9:24 AM
For renowned MMA trainer Shawn Tompkins, the transition from Xtreme Couture to the TapouT Training Center has been smooth, even though it can sometimes lead to seemingly awkward situations.
For example, Tompkins is currently in the midst of training MMA legend Mark Coleman for his upcoming fight at UFC 109. Nothing awkward about that, right? Well, maybe this: Coleman will be squaring off against Tompkins' former boss, Randy Couture.
Fight Calendar
UFC on Versus 1 | |
UFC 111 - St. Pierre vs. Hardy | |
UFC 112 - Silva vs. Maia | |
UFC 113 - Machida vs. Rua | |
Strikeforce Challengers | |
Strikeforce Challengers | |
WEC 47 - Bowles vs. Cruz |
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