Vitor Belfort: I signed to fight on Feb. 6 -- but I don't know if it's against Anderson Silva

by Eduardo Cruz on Nov 17, 2009 11:43 AM EST Comment 45 comments

Quoteworthy:

"I’m waiting for the UFC to decide my opponent. But I will fight on February 6. I don’t know whether is it against Anderson (Silva), though. That’s that thing, we never know nothing in the UFC. The things go on and we don’t know. I signed to fight in February and they already warned me about it. The opponent is [sometimes] changed near the time of the fight. Tito Ortiz recently had his adversary changed close to fight. We have to be prepared the whole time. Anything can happen in the UFC -- but I don’t plan to move up to the light heavyweight division."

UFC middleweight contender Vitor Belfort expects to fight at UFC 109 on Feb. 6 in Las Vegas — though he's not entirely convinced it will be against reigning champion Anderson Silva, who already withdrew from UFC 108 as he recovers from elbow surgery. "The Phenom" is coming off a first round destruction of former division champ Rich Franklin at UFC 103 on Sept. 19 in Dallas. The stoppage — coupled with his wins in Affliction — propelled him to an immediate title shot. The only question now is, when will he finally get it?

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Hopefully Vitor will not loose his next fight until fighting Silva. That’s the match I want to see.

"No one wants to be defeated."

by Eduardo Cruz on Nov 17, 2009 11:55 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I hope its Silva

Either way I just like to watch him fight.

by ElStIkO on Nov 17, 2009 12:03 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Marquardt?

Could be, since Marquardt apparently has said that the Sonnen fight was bogus.

by Lester The Pimp on Nov 17, 2009 12:04 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

it is and isn't...

Do I think Sonnen deserves Nate? No. Am I excited to see Sonnen get beat to a pulp? Extremely. Sonnen’s wrestling won’t help him here.

by McArthur... on Nov 17, 2009 12:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

mma math doesn't add up

Except in this case though.

I don’t want to see Sonnen Vs Nate. Sonnen lost to Maia – Maia gets KTFO by Nate
and then Sonnen fights Nate.

This high up in the rankings a win is supposed to matter.

by Bigger Zino on Nov 17, 2009 12:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Doesn't matter to me...

as long as Sonnen loses in convincingly dramatic fashion

by McArthur... on Nov 17, 2009 12:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Sonnen

Why all the hate for Sonnen? He’s beaten Dan Miller and Okami back to back…that’s a fair accomplishment even if it wasn’t via excitement. I’m not saying he’s a top MW in the UFC but he’s a solid gatekeeper. He does have an eerily resemblance to a douchebag though.

by Buster Bluth on Nov 17, 2009 1:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Ever since...

I heard him claim to be a top five MW after beating a drugged up Filho I’ve hoped to watch him lose and will continue to do so till it happens….

by McArthur... on Nov 17, 2009 1:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

not fair

i don’t know. i thought the okami fight was exciting. sonnen charges in; give credit where credit is due.

formerly JB, trying to figure out this whole new SB deal. oh, and another thing; i'm not impressed by your performance.

by . JB . on Nov 17, 2009 11:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i hope its nate then we could have bisping/sonnen.

by scott1 on Nov 17, 2009 12:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

109 already?

At this rate, we could see UFC 200 in 7- 8 years. Although, I think by that time they may have done away with the “numbering” system. As long as they keep the cool names like “Justice is Served” I’ll be fine wth it.

"Remember men, we are all winners in the eyes of Christ...except for the guy still bleeding on the canvass"

by Jrandolph on Nov 17, 2009 12:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I don’t think they named any UFC event since UFC 99, after 100 they got rid of the titles.

I hate spinach, and I’m glad that I do
because if I didn’t I’d eat them, and I just hate them.

by orcus on Nov 17, 2009 12:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

kinda liked the titles...

by McArthur... on Nov 17, 2009 12:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think they ran out of Steven Seagal movie titles to use as event names.

I'm kind of a big deal.

by P-Dub on Nov 17, 2009 12:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

LOL

UFC 110 “Fire Down Below” or UFC 111 “Today You Die”

by McArthur... on Nov 17, 2009 12:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

ha!

I hate spinach, and I’m glad that I do
because if I didn’t I’d eat them, and I just hate them.

by orcus on Nov 17, 2009 12:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

They named UFC 101 “Declaration”, didn’t they?

"Cowards die many times before their deaths,
The valiant never taste of death but once."

Julius Caesar (II, ii, 32-37)

by Jeremyjackson on Nov 17, 2009 1:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

ah, you’re right, what about after that though?

I hate spinach, and I’m glad that I do
because if I didn’t I’d eat them, and I just hate them.

by orcus on Nov 17, 2009 1:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Declaration

Was in reference to the Declaration of Independence being written and signed in Philly, where the event was.

I'm kind of a big deal.

by P-Dub on Nov 17, 2009 2:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

they should start naming them with the main events they’re putting on now………UFC 108 Sickness or UFC 108 Injury

dude.....i am

by brendog on Nov 17, 2009 2:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

better yet

UFC 10?: Third String
UFC 10?: No Man’s Land
UFC 10?: Terminal
UFC 10?: Apocalypse
UFC 11?: Vacancy
UFC 11?: Apply Within
UFC 11?: Springer vs Winfrey

by (shonuff) on Nov 17, 2009 2:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Nicely done.

"Remember men, we are all winners in the eyes of Christ...except for the guy still bleeding on the canvass"

by Jrandolph on Nov 17, 2009 3:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Well

Dana has talked that they tried to rid the UFC events of the numbering system but people just kept them going and referring to them as UFC 55 or whatever number it so happened to be so they were like screw it and kept the numbering system.

by Edgecrusher71 on Nov 17, 2009 12:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I like the numbers

It makes it much easier to keep a chronology in your head and to remember how long ago something happened, and to remember which DVDs you want to buy. I thought most of the names were silly. I prefer a number + main event name format like “UFC 107: Penn vs Sanchez.”

by (shonuff) on Nov 17, 2009 2:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

here, here. i agree.

formerly JB, trying to figure out this whole new SB deal. oh, and another thing; i'm not impressed by your performance.

by . JB . on Nov 17, 2009 11:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Heres a title.

UFC 109 Awwww Yaaaaa

by ElStIkO on Nov 17, 2009 12:13 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Silva doesnt seem too eager to fight Belfort

He wanted top level competiters well there you go big guy. I swear if he signs another Light Heavy fight ……

by ElStIkO on Nov 17, 2009 12:17 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Anderson is the new Tito...

…telling the UFC who should and shouldn’t get title shots, who he will and won’t fight because they’re his buddies, who should have to fight who to be deserving of him or a shot at his belt….He’s a ducking premadonna! Silva wants to pick and choose big names that he knows pose no threat to him. First he’s telling Dana that Hendo doesn’t deserve a shot,. Dana promises Hendo one anyway, so Andy says he’s injured and tells Dana to make Dan fight Nate. Then Dan’s contract expires and Silva claims he’s 100% and was never injured at all. Then Vitor shows up and Silva says he’ll fight him, but doesn’t want the title on the line. UFC says he has to defend his belt, and suddenly his elbow IS injured afterall, and Vitor is left signing a blank contract. Reminds me of when Tito was champ. Silva calls out guys like Mir and looks for another slow-mo cardboard target like Forrest. I’m expecting him to call out Couture any day now…oh wait, he already did! I’m sure Coleman and Tito are on his list too. Notice how quickly he made up with Wandy when Wandy actually made it to his division, so I guess we can add Wandy to the ever-growing list of fighters that Silva refuses to fight.

by (shonuff) on Nov 17, 2009 2:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Disagree

I think Anderson Silva wants to fight compelling opponents, not cans. He was made to fight his previous two 185 opponents. Belfort and Nate pose the only real challenges right now. Henderson is out, and frankly I’m not very excited to see Henderson fight again, unless against Nate or Belfort.

by MMACrossfire on Nov 17, 2009 2:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Hendo

Dan Henderson needs to sign with the UFC already so it can be Belfort vs Hendo! This fight could be for a shot at the Spider.

by MMACHAMP on Nov 17, 2009 12:34 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

I’m wondering whether that’s the fight we’ll see.

by MMACrossfire on Nov 17, 2009 2:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

If they do that...

It should be for an Interim Title. That would force Anderson to either fight one of them or vacate and keep his ass up to 205 where it should have been all along.

by (shonuff) on Nov 17, 2009 2:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

That's what Dana did

to Tito when he was dodging Chuck. If Silva won’t defend the belt, he should be stripped. Hughes, Liddell, and every other long-standing champ had to put up with rematches and people they didn’t think deserved a shot. Anderson’s the only one who thinks he has a right to dictate who gets to fight for the belt.

by (shonuff) on Nov 17, 2009 2:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Well...

I do think Vitor and Hendo deserve a title shot but so does Nate in my opinion. The only solution to this problem is if Silva just defended the belt already to one of those three.

by MMACHAMP on Nov 17, 2009 4:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Nate needs

to beat a big name to get another shot. He’s never beaten anybody on the level of a Franklin, Hendo, Belfort, or Wandy. His only fight against an elite level fighter was his loss to Silva. If he shows us he can beat a top-tier opponent and not just the mid-level guys that his resume is stacked with, THEN I’d say he deserves another shot. I know it’s not Nate’s fault that the UFC has never matched him up with an A-list fighter, but that’s what he needs to be a contender. Franklin was the previous champ and still had to beat #1 contender Okami to get a second shot. Vitor and Hendo both have wins against the previous champ (and are former champs themselves). Nate hasn’t fought ANY of the top 3 other contenders yet, so how can he be No 1 Contender. Let Nate get even ONE big name in his W column and I’ll join your crusade. Its for his own good, really. He needs the experience against A-level fighters before he takes on Silva again.

by (shonuff) on Nov 18, 2009 4:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

title

UFC 120: “No main event”

"No one wants to be defeated."

by Eduardo Cruz on Nov 17, 2009 12:44 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

4 real competitors

I see Anderson, Vitor, Nate and Dan with chances to be champions by now. Maia is incredible but has to improve striking part.

I laugh to myself when I read people writing Anderson is afraid of Belfort. Is The Phenom a threat? Can be. But don’t count the Spider is feared, please.

"No one wants to be defeated."

by Eduardo Cruz on Nov 17, 2009 1:11 PM EST reply actions 0 recs