UFC News - Vitor Belfort vs. Anderson Silva will be HUGE

Has Anderson Silva finally found a worthy challenger in the middleweight division? The UFC would like to think so now that Vitor Belfort has made his return to the Octagon, and the former light heavyweight champion will get a shot at Silva in his second fight back according to The Los Angeles Times.

The bout will likely occur at UFC 108 on January 2, 2010, as Silva needs time to recover from a fairly standard surgical procedure to remove bone spurs from his elbow.

Now there are two questions on every UFC fan’s mind. First of all, did Belfort really deserve the title shot despite just coming back to the UFC?
Granted, he beat a good veteran fighter in Rich Franklin, but some feel he needed one more win before getting the shot.

Many fans also believe Nate Marquardt and Dan Henderson are both getting screwed in this equation, but considering that both of them were beaten pretty handily by Silva already and that they can each make a good chunk of change fighting each other on a future card, they shouldn’t be too upset. Henderson might be because he’s aging and has nothing to prove by beating Marquardt, but hey, those are the breaks.

And let’s be honest here: much like in college football with the way they rank teams and slot them into BCS Title Games, the so-called eye test counts for a lot.

Silva has toyed with so many fighters of average speed and athleticism like Rich Franklin, Forrest Griffin, and James Irvin that it’s long overdue that the UFC put him in the Octagon with someone like Belfort who is a top-of-the-line striker with lighting-quick hands and legit boxing-level footwork. It had to happen, and that’s why Belfort’s getting the shot. Plus, he’s been on fire lately when you take into account his work in other MMA organizations, winning four straight prior to his UFC win over Franklin.

You can argue that Henderson got a win in the previous fight as well as five in 2006 and use that as evidence for Henderson to get another shot against Silva. But styles make fights, and Belfort has a better chance to make a fight with Silva a memorable one and to test Silva in a way he hasn’t been tested in a while.

That leads us to our second question: does Belfort really have a chance against one of MMA’s most dominating fighters?

If he fights to his full potential and continues to train harder than he’s trained in his life, I believe the answer is yes. Expect Belfort to be a fairly solid underdog going into the Silva fight, but whenever you get a guy as powerful and strong as Belfort in the Octagon with his knockout power and combine in with a new focus and a hungry attitude, the chances for an upset are always great.

The Silva-Belfort fight could be an incredible start to the 2010 MMA season and BetUs.com’s Sportsbook will have you covered with all the UFC 108 action you can handle.