UFC 126: Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort

**steftheboxer** · 11-01-2011, 12:05

Originally Posted by Petrosyan188

Jon Jones tegen een fitte Shogun Rua... alleen als ik er aan denk word ik al gek, dat zou echt een wereldpartij worden

pff inderdaad dat zou echt wel dik zijn.....ben heel benieuwd wat Jon Jones ons nog allemaal gaat brengen...maar eerst voorbij Bader komen

**dirk5** · 11-01-2011, 12:48

Volgensmij moet Jones eerst nog langs Bader, en dat zie ik persoonlijk niet zo gebeuren...

**Slome** · 12-01-2011, 11:56

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck45F...layer_embedded

**Slome** · 12-01-2011, 19:30

**Kemal** · 13-01-2011, 15:17

Cerrone vs. Kelly official; "UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort" again complete with 11 bouts

An intriguing lightweight matchup between WEC import Donald Cerrone (13-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and British scrapper Paul Kelly (11-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) is now official for UFC 126.

UFC brass today officially announced the addition to the card, which is now again complete with 11 contests.

Featuring a highly anticipated main event between UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and top contender Vitor Belfort, "UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort" takes place Feb. 5 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, and the night's main card on pay-per-view.

The "Cowboy" Cerrone vs. "Tellys" Kelly matchup, which was reported earlier this month by MMAjunkie.com ), is slated for the evening's preliminary card.

Cerrone, a former top WEC lightweight contender, recently concluded his three-year WEC career with a submission victory over Chris Horodecki at the promotion-ending WEC 53 event. The Greg Jackson-trained fighter makes his UFC debut with three wins in his past four fights, which included a decision win over Jamie Varner and a submission victory over Ed Ratcliff.

Kelly, a British fighter and Kaobon team member, most recently scored a TKO win over T.J. O'Brien at UFC 123 event. The three-year UFC vet and former welterweight has rotated between wins and losses in his past five fights with addition victories over Roli Delgado and Matt Veach and losses to Dennis Siver and Jacob Volkmann.

Kelly was originally expected to face Sam Stout before an undisclosed injury forced the Canadian striker to withdraw from the event.

With the official addition to the card, UFC 126 now includes:

MAIN CARD

Champ Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort (for middleweight title)
Forrest Griffin vs. Rich Franklin
Jake Ellenberger vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha
Ryan Bader vs. Jon Jones
Antonio Banuelos vs. Miguel Torres

PRELIMINARY CARD

Paul Kelly vs. Donald Cerrone
Chad Mendes vs. Michihiro Omigawa
Gabe Ruediger vs. Paul Taylor
Demetrious Johnson vs. Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Ricardo Romero
Mike Pierce vs. Kenny Robertson

**Slome** · 13-01-2011, 16:52

**Pahlavan** · 13-01-2011, 18:15

When UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones sits down to watch tape on a future opponent, it is an exercise in excess. In fact, that's kind of the point. For Jones, there's no such thing as too much time spent studying the man he's about to fight.

Take Ryan Bader, for instance. To prepare for their fight at UFC 126 on Super Bowl weekend, Jones has procured tape not only of Bader's fights, but also his interviews and even a recent fan Q&A session. Now he "can't watch them enough." As he told MMA Fighting recently, he already feels like he knows what's going on inside of Bader's head.

"When you watch someone's interviews, you can tell where they're at mentally," said Jones. "There's certain words people use, keywords that show their level of confidence. Like, if I win this fight. Or, I hope. I might be able to do this. For instance, when [Bader] says, 'When Jon does that spinning back elbow he has his back open for a split second and maybe I can take his back.' Just the fact that he mentioned that in a Q&A tells me that's on his mind and that's a move that frustrates him, that's bothering him, so I should work on it and make it even faster and harder for him to see coming. People give a lot away in everything they say."

It's not just what they say, either. Jones admitted that he also pays close attention to Bader's Twitter, as well as the Twitters of Bader's friends and training partners – anyone the Arizona-based fighter spends a considerable amount of time with – on the off chance that they might "give something up."

"I have one fight, one individual to pay attention to in order to get me one step closer to my dream," said Jones. "Why not just get totally immersed in the things that he says, the things he tweets, the people he's around? ...I just like to know every angle. I use the internet to know every little thing I can, kind of like a spy. I just think, if I was Ryan Bader, how would I beat Jon Jones? I think about the ways I could lose the fight first instead of thinking how I can beat him."

But there's a flipside to all that mental preparation. With as much time as Jones spends on the internet trying to learn about Bader, it's inevitable that he come across what people are saying about him.

He's 23 years old, has been a pro fighter for less than three years, and yet the hype and expectations surrounding him have grown exponentially with every fight. It's getting to the point where there are so many more ways to fall short of those expectations than there are ways to exceed or even just meet them.

"Meeting people's expectations is something I do worry about, and it's something Greg [Jackson] tells me not to think about," said Jones. "He says, 'You know Jon, you don't even need to win a fight, when you think about it. You're 23 and you're still learning. You're still a baby, so no fight for you should ever be a big, must-win fight for you, and no name or no opponent besides the cream of the crop should even affect you. You have so much time, a setback right now would only make you better.'

"But expectations, they're my personal little thing, my personal struggle. For the most part, I try not to show that. I try to just go out there and have fun, because when I'm having fun nothing else matters. I'm flowing and doing what comes to my mind."

Still, when fans ask UFC president Dana White when – not if – Jones will get a shot at the title, he hears it. When former champ Forrest Griffin is asked if the UFC will match him up against Jones soon and responds with, 'I hope not,' Jones hears that too, and it's almost impossible not to be affected by it.

"It's crazy. It's mind-blowing. It's like being on this rollercoaster. Hearing guys like Forrest Griffin say that it's like, really? Is that really me he's talking about? I have to step back sometimes and realize how lucky and blessed I am. Being down here at Greg Jackson's, it keeps me honest.

"I have times where I don't have any special fighters around me and I'm whooping up everybody at practice. But then there's weeks like the one coming up here where Rashad Evans is here, Mike Van Arsdale is here, Georges St. Pierre, Andrei Arlovski...just this powerhouse workout squad, and it really reminds me that I don't know anything. I'm just like a kid around my older brothers, getting beat up every day."

But while Jones helps his light heavyweight teammate Rashad Evans as he prepares for a title shot against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in the spring, that same old question rears its head: what happens if Evans becomes the UFC's 205-pound champion once again?

The two Jackson camp fighters have said repeatedly that they'll never fight each other, so does Jones, who seems to be rapidly approaching the top of the division, patiently wait his turn? Does he move to heavyweight? Or does he consider a third option?

"The thing about me and Rashad is, we have to be happy for each other and we have to always be pulling for one another," said Jones. "Rashad's star climbing will only make my star climb. Me trying to bury him in any way or wish he won't be successful, that won't help me at all."

This is why, according to Jones, the issue that seems so complex to almost everyone else is really quite simple in his mind. He might be guilty of over-thinking everything else, but not this. On this one, there's only thing to do, he said.

"If Rashad won the title, I would wait right where I'm at. There's so many great fighters I haven't fought yet. If Rashad won I would be so happy for him and hopefully he hangs on to it for a while. I'm also growing, so there's a possibility for me to go up to heavyweight at some point, but I've got a lot of time left to me at 205 [pounds]."

**Slome** · 14-01-2011, 17:25

**Slome** · 14-01-2011, 19:28

**se3207** · 14-01-2011, 20:25

WAR Anderson Silva WAR Forrest Griffin,WAR Jon Jones,WAR Donald Cerrone,WAR Kid Yamamoto

**Kemal** · 15-01-2011, 22:02

denk dat Silva die pot gaat pakken

**Slome** · 16-01-2011, 17:36

Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto, who is turning 34 in March, says that he’ll fight for about 2-3 years longer.

In the last chapter of his career he will fight in UFC, which he thinks is the highest peak of combat sports. His fighting spirit/motivation has risen to the top now that he’s received the opportunity to fight there.

As soon as WEC was merged into UFC it was decided that he would fight there.

He then said full of confidence: "It’s all right. There aren’t that many great people in my class. I can take (Dominick Cruz) out."

**Slome** · 17-01-2011, 16:51

"Fighting for the belt makes no difference. You’re seeking the upper echelon of the sport. What’s important is to stay focused on training and on what you need to fulfill, your objective. I came to Vegas for the structure. There’s greater investment in the sport here. So many times in Brazil I’ve lacked training partners. I feel Brazil is still far behind the USA as far as that goes."

"Training is the hardest part of a competition. For as long as I’ve been away injured, I believe my training will overcome the down time. I imagine that to be the source of athletes’ riches."

"And as far as the fight itself goes, as everyone may imagine, the action seems guaranteed. I’m going to give it my best, regardless of (Anderson) Silva’s expectations. I’m going to give it 100%, so he’d better be ready."

**Kemal** · 19-01-2011, 21:00

Vitor Belfort Parts Ways With Trainer Shawn Tompkins Ahead of UFC 126

Vitor Belfort has worked with striking coach Shawn Tompkins since mid-2008, when Belfort first walked into the gym of longtime rival Randy Couture in hopes of training with him.

The union between coach and fighter has been productive. Belfort earned three knockouts in three fights while under Tompkins' watch. But with Belfort in the midst of preparation for the biggest match of his career -- a UFC 126 title shot against champ Anderson Silva -- the partnership is apparently over.

On the Tuesday edition of The Fight Show with Mauro Ranallo, Tompkins briefly addressed the situation, as well as the recent story that Belfort was training with former boxing great Mike Tyson.

"Well, you know, Vitor's done this before. Vitor sometimes, he gets a little clouded in his head," Tompkins said. "It's not that he brought in Mike Tyson or anything like that. Vitor just wanders, you know, and he goes where what's happening, what's famous, what's popular and he'll go over there. Mike Tyson isn't teaching him anything. Neither is the other eight gyms that he's training at. Just because he's over at Couture's and not with me doesn't mean he's with Couture. Vitor isn't loyal to anybody. We've seen it before."

The middleweight star hasn't fought since a Sept. 2009 knockout over Rich Franklin at UFC 103.

Since then, two dates with divisional champion Silva have been postponed by injuries. Belfort and Tompkins were still working together in the fall of 2010, but now, Belfort's gone in another direction, much to the chagrin of his former trainer.

"I hope for the best for him, but you know, for a guy who told me about respect, loyalty, and God and all this stuff for so many years, he sure did prove the opposite," Tompkins said. "So, we'll see. Best of luck to him. Best of luck to Anderson, as well."

Belfort is reportedly training his striking under Xtreme Couture coach Gil Martinez, a well-respected trainer who most recently prepared Gray Maynard for his title shot against Frankie Edgar.

**Pahlavan** · 19-01-2011, 21:16

hhmm lijkt me niet zo gunstig voor vitor... een stabiele trainingsplaats is nogal belangrijk denk ik..

alsof tegen anderson silva vechten niet moeilijk genoeg is... en nou ook nog zo'n onstabiele situatie qua voorbereiding...

**Kemal** · 19-01-2011, 21:20

tja en als er dan verloren wordt afvragen hoe het nu komt...

**wrestler_nl** · 20-01-2011, 17:10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdhB4...layer_embedded

**Slome** · 21-01-2011, 13:12

**wrestler_nl** · 22-01-2011, 18:20

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1K6NZNVuHc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0go3y-hIyo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AcYLDuVc_c

**Slome** · 27-01-2011, 11:41

**wrestler_nl** · 27-01-2011, 21:48

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPvK5ZMgQf8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=649dt...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eajc9_zr3TQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22OiX...eature=related

**Kemal** · 28-01-2011, 06:57

Forrest Griffin 'A Little More Nervous Than Usual' for Rich Franklin Fight

Forrest Griffin has had his fair share of the spotlight and big moments. He's been UFC light heavyweight champion, and faced some of the heaviest hitters in MMA, including Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Anderson Silva. But for his upcoming UFC 126 fight with Rich Franklin, Griffin admits his nerves are likely to be a little bit more on edge than normal. That's because Griffin will be putting his body to the test for the first time since Nov. 2009.

Returning from long-needed shoulder surgery, Griffin will come back against an opponent who is coming off an injury timeout of his own. Franklin will be making his first start back from a broken arm.

"For me, being off for a year, that's huge," Griffin said in a Thursday teleconference. "It's a weird feeling, I'm a little more nervous than usual. During this year I've had spurts of really good training when I thought I was going to fight. The big thing is going to be that first minute, and making that adjustment, getting back in there. This is the longest break I've had in fighting since 2000, so it's weird."

Officially, Griffin had a longer break between his last non-UFC fight and his debut in the finals of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, but that's only because the fights during the reality show's taping do not count as official bouts. Aside from that, the longest layoff of his career had been just short of 10 months between beating Rua and then defeating Jackson for the championship. Ironically, that layoff was also due to a shoulder surgery.

Griffin (17-6) has a reputation as a gym rat due to the long hours of training he puts in, and though he sees the potential benefits of time away from training, he was forced out of the gym for much longer than he's comfortable with. His troubles were compounded by a false start; eight weeks after surgery he began workouts, only to realize he wasn't quite yet ready to put his body through what he would demand of it. That forced him back to the sidelines for another three weeks off.

"It sucks," he said. "It's nice to get to do other things and not really worry about fighting. It's mentally refreshing. But physically, a good break every now and then is great for your body. But it was too long. Too long without competing. I don't know. This is the most ring rust I've ever had. I'm not excited about it. I'm definitely going to fight more."

Shoulder problem have unfortunately affected Griffin for years. The first such injury was originally suffered in 2006 and first addressed in 2007 with surgery. There is some concern the problem could recur, but Griffin won't know for sure how it will respond until he and Franklin get down to business.

He said that during his time away, the only time his absence really bothered him was during fight weekends, when others competing and thought to himself, "I should be doing that," but it's only made him more excited about getting back in the octagon, or as he says, "just that feeling of being home."

As for facing the former middleweight champ, Griffin thinks the bout has the makings of a classic.

"If you look at the way Rich fights and you look at the way I fight, all the ingredients for a great fight are there," he said. "So, you just hope it comes together and it's the fight you think it can be."

**Kemal** · 28-01-2011, 06:58

Relaxed and Rehabbed Vitor Belfort Ready for Anderson Silva

Few of his contemporaries are still fighting at a similar level as Vitor Belfort. When the Brazilian striker burst on to the UFC scene in 1997, he was just 19 years old. Today's mixed martial arts has only a passing resemblance to that previous incarnation, yet Belfort has evolved along with the sport.

At 33 years old, he's one of few remaining fighters from those old days capable of still headlining a major card, let alone and fighting at a championship level. Next Saturday at UFC 126, Belfort becomes the next to attempt to dislodge Anderson Silva off the middleweight throne, a task that has so far proven impossible.

Despite the high-stakes matchup, Belfort says that he no longer lets the enormity of the moment overwhelm him.

"I'm the kind of guy, I don't have pressure anymore," he said. "I used to have a lot of pressure. Young guy, came to the scene, had to win. Everything was about 'have to win.' If you didn't win? It's funny how people talk. If you lose a fight, you have to retire. Everyone expects all of us to win, to do things great. It's not enough. It's never enough. You can never can please everybody. The way I live my life what I can do best today."

Belfort has won five straight matches, but only one of these came in the UFC, a September 2009 first-round knockout of Rich Franklin.

Afterward, the anticipated fight between Silva and Belfort was postponed multiple times because of injuries suffered by both men. Silva injured an elbow, necessitating surgery, while Belfort also had surgery, his to address a torn shoulder labrum.

After a 16-month layoff for the surgery and subsequent rehabiliation, Belfort will attempt to become the first UFC fighter to win titles in three different decades. In 1997 he won a one-night heavyweight tournament championship. Seven years later, he captured the light-heavyweight championship, defeating Randy Couture. And now, seven years after that, he hopes to add a middleweight belt to his list of accomplishments.

Belfort says winning the belt would not change him, noting "I already know how that feels," but acknowledged his belief that Silva is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, as well as the challenge of facing him.

"If I said I faced someone like Anderson before, I'd be lying," he said. "He's a type of unique guy in the sport. The way he fights, the way he proves himself. It's very interesting. I'm very curious how the fight's going to go. Like he said, we're training every way possible. We have to do our best. The predictions are going to be out there. We just have to go out and do our best, what I'm capable of. We're going to have to adapt in the octagon, so be ready. We trained hard, we're both ready and it's going to be time to go."