This past Saturday night, the UFC brought their unique brand of entertainment back to Brazil with UFC on FX 8. In the main event, UFC veteran Vitor Belfort faced off against former Strikeforce champ, Luke Rockhold. The stakes were high as Luke Rockhold made his UFC debut, and his first time returning to action since he defended his Strikeforce middleweight title against Tim Kennedy in July of 2012. Rockhold was on a 9 fight win streak and was already being mentioned as next in line to face the legendary Anderson “The Spider” Silva had he beaten Belfort in his debut.
Vitor had other plans, however, as he finished Rockhold in the first round with a spectacular spinning heel kick knockout. This wasn’t the first title shot opportunity which Belfort has stifled in 2013 as he finished Michael Bisping in January, at least temporarily putting the idea of a Bisping vs. Silva bout on hold. Bisping had been promised the next crack at Silva with a win over Vitor, but was stopped in his tracks much like Rockhold was this past Saturday.
Rewind back to UFC 126 in 2011. Anderson Silva took on Vitor Belfort in the first ever meeting between the two Brazilian standouts. Arguably two of the most dangerous strikers in the Middleweight division, there was only one way this fight was going to end, and that is exactly what happened. Belfort was on the receiving end of one of the most brutal, highlight reel, knockouts in UFC history. Anderson Silva finished Belfort with a stunning front kick that landed flush on Vitors chin, knocking him out in the first round.
Now, a loss is just a loss right? It happens to the best, and fighters do what they do best, fight their way back to earn another shot at the coveted UFC gold. This tends to not be the case for Belfort, as images of Silva’s foot meeting his face immediately come to mind, thus dismissing any interest in a rematch with Anderson Silva. The question is, when has a fighter done enough to recover from such a devastating loss? In my opinion, Vitor is the only clear cut contender in the Middleweight division right now. Since he began fighting at 185lbs, he has only one loss to Anderson Silva. Since the knockout, Belfort has gone 4-1, with his only loss being to current Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones. All 4 wins were in the Middleweight division and his 2 most recent wins, as stated, were over people who were almost guaranteed a title with a victory.
If you look through the Middleweight division, you can’t find another fighter who has accomplished what Vitor has in recent years. Frankly, there is nobody that can come close. As much as I don’t agree, it seems as if Vitor may never get a crack at UFC gold again as long as Anderson Silva is holding it. Silva is scheduled to face Chris Weidman at UFC 162 in July and unless the belt changes hands, Belfort may want to reconsider a permanent move back up to Light Heavyweight.
