via t2.gstatic.com

For decades now, many athletes in every sport, have used religion or faith in some form or another, and as a "Born Again Christian" myself, I have conflicting opinions of the way "faith" is sometimes used in the sports arena.

I don't choose to support a team or athlete based on the fact that may be on the "Jesus Team", Sports is sports,and I root for some downright nasty dudes sometimes. However, I do respect athletes that walk what they talk. We have all seen guys point to the heavens after a touchdown, or even a knockout in the Octagon, but even the most religious among us, (myself included) probably get irritated when athletes start acting like God is on their side. In fact, I hate it when athletes do that. I actually don't think God cares wether Vitor wins a fight or not. I do think He cares if we do or don't give our best in everything we do, and if that includes how we fight, so be it.

What I am impressed with, is when athletes, religious or not, carry themselves with character and integrity, in and out of their sports lives. Sometimes the guys claiming to be religious are anything but, and sometimes guys that have no belief in a higher power at all, turn out to be the stand up guys. Either way, I do not assume to know enough of their personal lives to make determinations on who those athletes really are, but sometimes you get a glimpse. Of course that is always up for debate here at Mania, and I guess that's all part of why we love debating our favorite athletes. 

So, with that in mind, I encourage you to check out the link below.  Full Disclosure, It is a site that allows celebrities and athletes to share their own reasons for their faith, and how it affects their life. UFC Light Heavy Weight, Vitor Belfort has recently added his own personal story at Iamsecond.com, and I found it to be quite interesting. At one point in his story, he talks about the rape and murder of his sister in Brazil in 2004, and it's obvious that it had a profound affect on his life. In the end, he candidly speaks of how his faith in Christ guides him today, and how he hopes to blend his faith with his passion for mma.

Of course if you are not a person of faith, that;s cool too. It's still worth watching in light of the fact that this is the man many believe will finally defeat Anderson Silva later on tonight. For the record, I'm betting on Silva. Look I don't mean to get preachy on an mma site, so I won't. Mania is a great site, that has people from just about every race color and creed, and it's our love for mma that brings us here, So please take no offense at the post.

At any rate, I encourage you to check out the clip. Video link here