UFC153: Vitor Belfort vs. Alan Belcher official
Source | MMAJunkie.com
Belfort was forced to withdraw from a headliner opposite Wanderlei Silva at UFC 147 when he broke his hand in training. The scratch ended a 12-week buildup of animosity between the middleweights as opposing coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil.”
Previously, Belfort was seen in the cage against Anthony Johnson, whom he submitted in the first round of a meeting at UFC 142 in January. That built on a first-round knockout of Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133.
After dropping from light heavyweight to middleweight and going 3-0, Belfort fell violently short against champ Anderson Silva at UFC 126. Silva knocked him out with a front kick to the face.
Belcher, a seasoned striker, might do the same, but has also developed impressive grappling skills in his UFC run. Most recently, he evaded the leglock attempts of submission wiz Rousimar Palhares when they met at UFC on FOX™ 3, and shortly afterward, pound the Brazilian out via TKO.
It was Belcher’s fourth straight win, though his streak was broken by time when he suffered a career-threatening eye injury that put him on the shelf for a year and a half.