• UFC 133

Vicious Belfort attacks Akiyama in pursuit of Silva lining

ESPN staff
August 7, 2011

Vitor Belfort did what Vitor Belfort does best against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133 on Saturday, and if there is a more violent man in the middleweight division - other than the champion, the Phenom needs to meet him.

One minute and 52 seconds was all it took for Belfort to deliver only the second knockout of Akiyama's career, the first of which came six years ago in the Japanese star's second MMA fight. It was vintage Belfort, laser-like with the left hand, before he swarmed all over his prey like a starved animal.

Make no mistake, the Brazilian is somewhere close to his best. Six wins in seven prove it, knockouts of Rich Franklin and Akiyama support the theory, as do the speed and violence of Belfort's hands.

His big problem? Anderson Silva stands in the way of the UFC belt.

If Silva was not champion, it would surely be difficult to argue that Belfort would be middleweight king. Silva is a genius, the head kick that stopped Belfort at UFC 126 was almost unique (one in a million according to Belfort), and the Phenom is responding the only way he can, by hurting people badly until he gets another shot.

Certainly Akiyama looked a few leagues below his foe. An early head kick reminded anybody who had forgotten that Belfort isn't just about hands. Akiyama responded by attempting to land a similar front kick used by Silva to finish Belfort. Akiyama isn't Silva though, and his missed attempt only seemed to anger the beast.

Belfort isn't just violence in human form, he combines it with exceptional skills. Setting things up with the leg kick fake, the Brazilian pushed through with his left hand to drop Akiyama. The punch barely looked to have landed, but the follow-ups certainly did. There was nowhere to hide, escape or even breath for Akiyama, who finished motionless on the mat.

"I'm back," roared Belfort. "I feel like if he (Silva) hadn't landed that head kick, that's what would have happened to him. I'm about to get the winner. I want the winner [of Anderson Silva v Yushin Okami]."

In this observer's eyes a rematch of Silva v Belfort, at some point, would be worth seeing.

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