By Shawn W. Smith
When Vitor Belfort made his ring entrance at UFC 152, there was an intense excitement in the building. The idea of a colossal upset always intrigues fans, and having someone as likable as Belfort to fill the role of David against the Goliath that is Jon Jones certainly heightened the feeling.
If my seat in section 307 was any indication, everyone was strongly in favour of Belfort to do the unthinkable. Some fans came to see world class athletes, others just wanted to see a good scrap, and there were others who just came for the overpriced alcohol. The one thing all could agree on however was their desire to see Belfort pull off the upset.
Cautiously optimistic about how the fight would go, fans roared as Belfort made his entrance. He had his faith, his experience, and nearly 17,000 Canadians on his side.
It’s a testament to Belfort’s worldwide popularity that, on short notice, he was able to come into a fight against Jones and garner an incredible amount of popularity. The event sold 450,000 pay-per-views and was one of the most watched mixed martial arts events of 2012.
And although Belfort did not come out victorious, his impressive first round was more than enough to send fans home happy. Through his 15 years in mixed martial arts, Belfort has continued to be a relevant force in both the middleweight and light-heavyweight divisions like few others.
This weekend, after defeating Michael Bisping in January, he’ll return to the Octagon in Brazil. His opponent will be former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold. With a win, Rockhold is likely to secure himself a world championship opportunity against middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva.
Whether or not the championship opportunity will be extended both ways has yet to be seen. It’s a fight Rockhold desperately needs to win. First impressions are everything and if he can impress the UFC faithful, he’s likely to secure a title fight.
But what happens if Belfort wins? After all, he’s coming off of arguably his biggest win as a middleweight, and his only losses in his current stint in the UFC are to Anderson Silva and Jon Jones.
There will be many clamoring for Belfort to receive a rematch against Silva if he can defy the odds again at UFC on FX 8. A win will put him at 4-1 since the Silva loss, with three wins at 185 pounds. In his favour is the fact that there will be no other contenders seemingly in his way. If Silva can get through Chris Weidman this July, he’ll have cleaned out the middleweight division which could pave the way for a rematch.
However, Belfort likely will not receive another middleweight title opportunity as long as Silva is champion. Highlight reels have been replaying the footage ever since they met the first time, and aren’t likely to stop anytime soon. Silva’s front-kick knockout of Belfort in their initial meeting at UFC 126 is etched into people’s minds. The way Belfort’s head bobbled on his shoulders before crumpling into a ball on the mat has become an iconic image in Silva’s historic reign.
Even if Belfort is not granted another championship opportunity however, he has enough left in his tank to continue to take on top-level talent. At 36, Belfort has shown little signs of entering the twilight of his career and is still a formidable foe to any middleweight opposition. He can easily fill the role of co-main event any time the UFC decides to go back to Brazil.
As Silva’s legendary career continues to wind down, the desire to see fresh and intriguing matchups, including bouts outside of middleweight, continues to increase. Long talked about “super-fights” against the likes of Jon Jones and Georges St-Pierre seem to be on the horizon, which may leave Belfort and other middleweight contenders twiddling their thumbs.
Belfort had his shot at greatness and let it slip through his fingers in just over three minutes. Rarely does a fighter get multiple opportunities to become a legend, especially after failing miserably the first time.
Belfort is an ultra-religious man. If he’s smart, he’ll be praying for a Chris Weidman victory at UFC 162. Assuming he gets by Rockhold first.
Shawn W. Smith is the senior writer at MMASucka.com and has contributed to Train Hard, Fight Easy and Fighters Only magazines. Follow him on Twitter @shawn_w_smith.
