RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JANUARY 14: Vitor Belfort celebrates defeating Anthony Johnson (not pictured) in a middleweight bout during UFC 142 at HSBC Arena on January 14, 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Former UFC light heavyweight champ Vitor Belfort enjoyed a big win over Anthony Johnson at UFC 142, finishing Johnson in the first round by rear naked choke. After the big win, Belfort spoke to the Brazilian news outlet O Globoabout Johnson (translated by Tom Mendes):
(Johnson) pretended to be hungry when he came after me, but in reality he was not doing anything dangerous. A wrestler is not going to be able to take me down and smother me. It's no use. I come from jiu-jitsu. You can try but it won't lead to anything. I come from jiu-jitsu.
Belfort also had some words for his next opponent, Wanderlei Silva:
If he does that (trade with me) I'll break him again. He no longer has the chin to trade with me. Tell him to change strategies or it's going to be another knockout.
Belfort and Silva are expected to coach the first installment of The Ultimate Fighter to be shot in Brazil. It will air on Fuel TV here in the states. Belfort KO'd Silva at the first UFC Brazil in 1997.
Update: Belfort has tweeted out a couple of statements following the publication of this article:
@vitorbelfort
Vitor BelfortI would like to make it clear that I didn't say anything about @wandfc not having a chin, I said it was going to be a very tough fight.
@vitorbelfort
Vitor BelfortFor me @wandfc is one of the best fighters of all time and is an example of maturity and I will never disrespect my opponent.
Favorite Retweet
Translations by Tom Mendes.
0 recs | 124 comments
"(Johnson) pretended to be hungry when he came after me"
::insert fat joke here::
MemphisMike - January 18, 2012
He's a hungry young fighter.
He’s actually fighting for a sandwich.
POW - January 18, 2012
pretty sure he found it
before the weigh-in
merryprankster - January 18, 2012
nice simpsons quote
homer the+boxer+gif pics on Sodahead
BattleCry - January 18, 2012
eggzactly
POW - January 18, 2012
Here is a pic
Of Rumble the day before the weigh ins. May not have been the best move in hindsight
HeadKickOfDoom - January 18, 2012
xfreekx - January 18, 2012
lol wtf
Tats16 - January 18, 2012
That must be the severed head they recovered in Hollywood Hills today
Skoobs - January 18, 2012
heh
From Seanbaby: Vitor’s first four fights in the UFC were all the same. He ran in, punched his opponent in the face 70,000 times in ten seconds, and then his corner would cheer “jiu jitsu! jiu jitsu!” in victory.
Cory Braiterman - January 18, 2012
That's the first thing I though of as well
Shaun32887 - January 18, 2012
LOL
I was watch Best of Pride and they were calling Wandy a BJJ expert. You sentence also applies to him. Like, “well if he’s Brazilian, he must be”
warren305 - January 18, 2012
If he's Brazilian, he must be a BJJ expert is just like...
…if he’s black, he must be explosive!
Jonathan. - January 18, 2012
he is a real black belt though
sure, he uses it mostly defensively, but it still counts.
Orcus - January 18, 2012
You can definitely tell when he hits the ground
It looks like he is very traditional and technical on the ground (which is weird considering his striking). Good wrist control, active guard, ect. He’s not as good as Shogun off his back, but not to far behind either.
discoandherpes - January 18, 2012
yep
and he controlled it very well against Arona too, that’s gotta count.
Orcus - January 18, 2012
All Chinese people know Kung Fu!
JaeeJaee - January 18, 2012 via mobile
Haha, yep!
dajulzta - January 18, 2012 via Android app
Yeah being smothered is not what you should be worried about, Vitor.
menckenstein - January 18, 2012
ya but johnson is nowhere near the level a wrestler that randy is
benten20 - January 18, 2012 via mobile
If it wasn't for Stand-up Dan....
HitokiriX - January 18, 2012
… Johnson would still be on Vitor’s chest trying to catch his breath…
Shnak - January 18, 2012
I agree he gassed quick but Dan stood them up at one point while johnson was actually working and throwing punches. they hadn't been on the ground for but 10-15 seconds.
HitokiriX - January 18, 2012
I had zero problems with any of the stand ups, or resetting the action while Johnson was leaning on Belfort against the cage doing nothing. As soon as there’s 5 seconds of doing nothing, positions should be reset. I loved that fight, mostly because of the way it was ref’d. Had that fight been Johnson laying on Belfort for 15 minutes doing nothing, it would’ve been a horribly boring fight, like the Johnson/Hardy fight was.
Shnak - January 18, 2012
when he was leaning on him against, the cage.. ok. but ummm
You must have never grappled with anyone seriously before have you?
HitokiriX - January 18, 2012
Top-control wrestlers have enough advantages in the MMA ruleset
they don’t need refs letting them camp out in guard and do nothing for extended periods of time too.
Dave Strummer - January 18, 2012
If judging was better
Then we wouldn’t really need stand ups half the time.
discoandherpes - January 18, 2012
Agreed.
But no one can be constantly on the move at every single moment. Sometimes you end up where you didn’t plan, you’re being blocked one way, about to lose control and you calm down to try and figure out your next move.
I don’t agree with stalling to win a fight but to say you can’t stop for more than 5 seconds without getting stood up… that’s ridiculous.
HitokiriX - January 18, 2012
5 seconds is an extended period of time?
JaeeJaee - January 18, 2012 via mobile
I don't agree with five seconds as a rule of thumb
I think it’s more contextual. But I generally don’t mind Tan Dan’s standups at all. If a guy is obviously stalling (ala Tyronne Woodley in virtually every fight) I think refs should get aggressive with the standups.
Maybe you give a guy the benefit of the doubt initially, but if he’s continuously getting takedowns, only to sit do nothing, I have no problem with refs taking aggressive action to prevent stalling.
Dave Strummer - January 18, 2012
I mean… I understand, but its a slippery slope. So many little things happen, that even experienced players can’t physically see, shifts of weight, slight changes of grip, little things that can’t be rushed until the right moment as you slowly improve your odds of finishing that grappling.
I hate stalling, hate it… but as much as I hate it, I realize that it is up to the bottom guy to get up.
NOW… that being said. Should the bottom guy be threatening, and legitimately winning the war, knowing that the judges are going to score the winner as the fighter in top control, I would stand the fight up for an aggressive bottom fighter who obviously wants to stand, but is constantly trying to fight while the top individual is obviously trying to stall. For fighters on the bottom that stall when the top fighter does, they would basically be stuck in that position.
My standups would go as follows… the first stand up would probably come after about a quarter of a round (a minute and some change) and they would happen sooner with each offense, 45 seconds, 25, then down to 15. of course the time remaining in a fight would also affect this decision (i.e. if the stalling begins in the third round, it should be a faster stand up than the first round, 25 seconds or less instead of the minute+ standup).
Tyron Woodley… yeah, he would be stood up in no time. I also think a point deduction should be issued.
JaeeJaee - January 18, 2012
Fine. 10 seconds. I’m feeling generous today.
Shnak - January 18, 2012
10 seconds is litterally a snapshot on the mat. 15-20 seconds of no positional advancement or actual ground and pound effort… maybe. 30 seconds is probably a better position.
10 seconds would favor strikers who can cling on for dear life long enough for a standup. They would litterally just train to hold on for 10 seconds.
JaeeJaee - January 18, 2012
You put your head on your opponent’s chest hoping to catch a breath, it should be immediately stood up. That should be in the rules.
Shnak - January 19, 2012
5 seconds of doing nothing??? Wtf, I’d this judo rules? 5 seconds is a bullshit time count.
JaeeJaee - January 18, 2012 via mobile
Randy didn't have big Dan standing the fight up fast
Either because of the Brazilian crowd, or because of something Dana White might have mentioned to him before the fight.
KJ Gould - January 18, 2012
I stand by Miragliotta's decision
Stand ups were fast – true – but we can’t be bitching all the time about the LNP fests that the UFC has become and at the same time criticize Miragliotta for make Johnson work or stand up…
juziel - January 18, 2012
This
We get 30 fights of stalling and 1 fight of quick standups and now people are bitching, make up your mind people.
SentientAndroid - January 18, 2012
I see your point,
But the only problem for me is consistency across the matches. Those standups were clearly quicker than any other fight I have seen. One of them was a standup when he was actually throwing and working, which made me feel that in fact the ref did have an agenda anti-Johnson. Now, in the hard light of day I don’t really believe that, but in the heat of the moment it crossed my mind. But again, clearly those were the fastest standups we’ve seen in the UFC in recent memory.
I would be for quicker standups in lay and pray fights, but maybe like, your first time down you get a long time to get started, but if the pattern turned into lay n pray instead of working to pass the standups got quicker as the fight went on.
DankNabbot - January 18, 2012
So you demand perfection?
Good luck.
sgiblin - January 18, 2012
why is there no middle ground
had tan dan given rumble 10-15 more seconds each time, we’d be complaining a lot less and it wouldn’t have been a lay n pray either.
rumble landed that huge shot and was still flailing away when the standup happened.
Cory Braiterman - January 18, 2012
iirc
the final standup occured mid combination by johnson. We need to bitch to AC’s so the rules are revised so a fighter in top control isnt automatically awarded a fight. We do need more stand ups, but done right. I also blame fighters on the bottom for not getting up.
JaeeJaee - January 18, 2012
You really think the UFC cares enough about Johnson (or Belfort) to actually interfere with a ref and tell them to stand it up faster? The integrity of the UFC brand is worth way too much to risk on some bush league crap like that.
MS_Dos_Santos - January 18, 2012
Bush league crap like dreaming up the idea Johnson had to have a second weigh in and not be above 205lbs?
No athletic commission in the US would do that. UFC almost have free reign with what they want to do during international shows they self regulate at.
KJ Gould - January 18, 2012
I really hate this Belfort vs Silva fight. It’s like Dana is trying to force Wanderlei to retire; I just can’t come up with a better reason why this fight was made. It was also bizarre that the fight was set up for Belfort before he fought Johnson; I don’t think that’s ever happened in UFC history, where a guy had his next opponent whether he won or lost his next fight. I know they’re doing TUF, but it’s still odd and there is no precedent.
Machiel Van - January 18, 2012
Hendo-Anderson?
Also, wasnt Chuck-Wandy pretty much arranged before Liddell fought Jardine?
VenusBlue - January 18, 2012 via mobile
oh, Pulver-Penn II as well, no?
VenusBlue - January 18, 2012 via mobile
None of those were arranged beforehand.
Wandy/Chuck just made sense as both were coming off consecutive losses and people had wanted to see it for years; it wasn’t announced or anything until about a month and a half after Chuck lost to Jardine. Hendo vs Anderson wasn’t made until after Anderson beat Franklin for the second time, which was a month after Hendo lost to Rampage. Penn vs Pulver II/TUF 5 wasn’t set up for months after Penn and Pulver both fought at UFC 63; at the time of UFC 63, no one thought that they would be each other’s next fight.
Machiel Van - January 18, 2012
Maybe Wanderlei really wants to get into Valhalla - dying in battle is the only way
I mean he named his son Thor and all.
menckenstein - January 18, 2012
One question
If you were going to make a TUF Brazil, who would you have if Belfort was on one side of the ticket? I’d think you’d want someone who at least spoke some english and was a known fighter.
Who would be a better choice given those parameters?
DankNabbot - January 18, 2012
Maia
exsanguinator - January 19, 2012 via Android app
Paul Harris. I want him to coach an army of leg-rippers.
Shnak - January 19, 2012
If they were two fighters from India it might make sense
Skoobs - January 18, 2012
More related to TUF
They are coaching TUF, due to their star power in Brazil I’m sure. And that means they are having to fight. Otherwise I agree with your point.
troyd - January 18, 2012
Not with Stand-Up Dan reffing your fight, anyway.
Ikuhisa Quinoa - January 18, 2012
Perhaps Dan comes from Jiu-Jitsu…
Machiel Van - January 18, 2012
Belfort has denied those statements on his twitter account.
Matheus Aquino - January 18, 2012
Another “translation problem”?
Machiel Van - January 18, 2012
yeah
I went over there now when you mentioned it, seems like he’s taking some heat from that quote and is retracting it. Belfort talks too much, and I think Guga has credibility, I don’t think Guga would just make up stuff to put on his blog though.
Orcus - January 18, 2012
Well, the translation is good, so either Belfort was misquoted or is changing his statement…
juziel - January 18, 2012
I'm thinking the latter
but seriously, I’m probably the only Brazilian who doesn’t like Belfort, so I have a bias. but then again, he talks way too much to keep up with the stuff he says :p
Orcus - January 18, 2012
That makes us two.
edtSD - January 18, 2012
we'll start the no-Belfort club!
Orcus - January 18, 2012
can I be your American ambassador despite me not being Brazillian in the no-Belfort club? war wand.
the jewish conquistador - January 18, 2012
everyone not named Belfort is welcome!
Orcus - January 18, 2012
Well, so does Wanderlei… LOL
juziel - January 18, 2012
the thing about Wanderlei
is that he’s so genuine, you can tell he doesn’t say stuff just to sound like he’s above you or intelligent, he talks a lot but he’s genuine. Belfort just comes off way too condescending in everything he says. have you seen this interview of Wanderlei? I was thinking of translating it, it would take a long time but the dude is just candid with everything he says.
Orcus - January 18, 2012
I’m at work, soundless monitor. But I could have a look at it when i get home…
I’ve been more enthusiastic about Belfort in the past, both as a fighter and as a person – he said some nasty sh*t about the portuguese colonization in Brazil that was only meant to get more people on board of his hype train, but I’m portuguese and I didn’t like that. But the fact remains that Wand also talks a lot of trash about Vitor, so I tend not to like Wand that much – the fact that I got into MMA after PRIDE can certainly explain why I fell different than most MMA fans that absolutely worship Wand and tollerate all his nonsense…
juziel - January 18, 2012
yeah man
when you have a chance it’s worth a watch (but it’s over 1 hour so taking it at your free time might be a problem). Wanderlei does talk a lot about his opponents, but that’s because he believes in himself, as he should, but other than that the dude is pretty cool. Belfort on the other hand, like you said, will talk about stuff he thinks he knows even though he doesn’t, and he does it in a way that he feels like he’s above whoever it is he’s talking to. That’s really what pisses me off about him. I’m not saying he’s a bad guy, he’s not, he just rubs me the wrong way.
Orcus - January 18, 2012
Belfort said an awful lot about portuguese colonization in Brazil: for most part, he was right. But he said portuguese settlers were the worst of a kind, and if you look at it with a perspective of what was common in those times (slavery, genocide of native tribes, etc etc etc) of course Portugal has a lot to answer to, but those sins/crimes were common among all european trans-continental empires, some of which ruled several centuries after the portuguese empire collapsed and still implemented some of those “strategies” do remain in command.
Back to the topic: I really believe Vitor said Wand has now chin whatsoever. but then again, I can clearly remember an interview from Wand where he says Vitor shits himself prior to fights…LOL…
“ele quando entra, já vai meio cagado”, I believe those were the words…
Between these two, I will be surprised if things don’t heat up in terms of words… they are now becoming a lot less relevant as fighters, and you sort of get used to the cameras, so you talk sh*t in order to keep your prime time intact… LOL
juziel - January 18, 2012
dude
I’m afraid I have to disagree with you there, sorry, but the Portuguese treatment of slavery back in those days were really the worst of any other New World colony (when looking at the way slaves were punished). I’m afraid we’re not going to agree on this, but I don’t think we should even be having this conversation on an MMA blog, and besides, that was a long time ago and I don’t think it’s a cultural thing nor do I have a problem with Portuguese people. let bygones be bygones, we’ll agree to disagree my brother :p
Orcus - January 18, 2012
Yes, let it rest.
juziel - January 18, 2012
I follow many brazilian websites and when I read those words there were tons of different reactions about Vitor’s words on teh subject and I was surprised at so much hate, because as you can imagine, they don’t teach the dark side in portuguese schools…
I really got interested in the brazilian point of view on this topic…
How can I get back to you on this subject?
juziel - January 18, 2012
there is hate from both sides from middle school children who don't have anything better to do with their time
I mean, the amount of trolls I found in comments from the Michel Teló song from both sides were horrendous (btw, I hate that song). racism and ignorance from both sides, but again, trolls exist everywhere in the world and a few internet comments should not portrait how a culture is IMO. I have much respect for Portugal (with the exception of the pronunciation of words, but I’m sure you feel the same way hehe, and to be clear that’s a joke so don’t take it seriously).
I rather not put my email in a public forum, but if you search this online I’m sure you can find numerous articles on slavery in Brazil. I’m also very fond of this topic, history has always been one of my favorite subjects.
Orcus - January 18, 2012
Why don’t you like Belfort?
SentientAndroid - January 18, 2012
don't like his attitude
Orcus - January 18, 2012
Just out of curiosity, what don’t you like about him? I’m curious. I’m not really a fan of his either, but I’m puerto rican, so it doesn’t count like yours.
JaeeJaee - January 18, 2012 via mobile
he just rubs me the wrong way
Orcus - January 18, 2012
same here
JaeeJaee - January 18, 2012
BROMANCE -"I'M SORRY WANDY, FORGIVE ME..."
higgledy-piggledy - January 18, 2012
The balls touched
menckenstein - January 18, 2012
That picture just made my day…
juziel - January 18, 2012
Big Nog doesn’t approve of this picture.
Shnak - January 19, 2012
Hate to break it to you Vitor, but that wasn't an act
He was hungry.
warren305 - January 18, 2012
I’m still hoping Vitor and Wanderlei is some horrific false rumour. The UFC under Zuffa has become a rival to boxing because they always make the fights fans want to see, and i haven’t heard anyone here on BE or absolutely anywhere else who say they want to see the legalised beating that is Belfort vs Wanderlei 2012.
sheikybaby - January 18, 2012
I want to see it
but only because I think Wandy will win and shut up the haters :p
Orcus - January 18, 2012
you fadin wandy?
dajulzta - January 18, 2012 via Android app
The crazy thing is that Belfort is only -275
I probably would take him at -900.
joker24 - January 18, 2012
Yes, Rumble didn't come in hungry
why do u think he didnt make weight?
i know.. beating a dead horse, but can’t help it.
elmojo - January 18, 2012
WHO ATE ALL THE PIES?
I laughed when I saw this.
Johnson made weight in the video, Vitor definitely didn’t
higgledy-piggledy - January 18, 2012
The camera adds ten pounds
And they aimed ten cameras and Vitor there
menckenstein - January 18, 2012
I think it was probably shot when Vitor was in between fights and Johnson was a WW.
higgledy-piggledy - January 18, 2012
he looks like diego sanchez there
Tats16 - January 18, 2012
vitors gonna retire wanderlei
He’s gonna be staring at the ceiling again … Poor wander
Thorpey - January 18, 2012 via iPhone app
Such a bad fight for Wand
His chin has pretty much disappeared after years of eating two shots to land one. Vitor should win that fight relatively easily unless Wand has a super secret gameplan. I know Silva has wanted to avenge this loss for quite some time, but this is gonna be a tough fight to watch as a Wanderlei Silva fan…..
HeadKickOfDoom - January 18, 2012
i don't see how Wandy wins this
but then again, their aren’t a lot of guys left in the division that i can see Wandy beating. he’s done.
thuggis - January 18, 2012
War Vitor!
Hope he knocks Wandy out cold.
Kevin Jennison J. Zametov-St Pierre - January 18, 2012
you don't have to hope
it’s gonna happen
NEW-HAMPSHIRE - January 18, 2012
menckenstein - January 18, 2012
So a wrestler can't beat a jui-jitsu guy?
Interesting.
duck - January 18, 2012
You can try but it won't lead to anything. I come from jiu-jitsu.
Well, that one is getting written down.
Brent Ducharme - January 18, 2012
I wonder if rumble would have been cut if he was one of the tuf 1 golden boys and lost 10 fights in a row and then got busted for steroids
psychoblack - January 18, 2012 via mobile
Yes
BKdroid - January 18, 2012
or if he was British
I know that AJ fucked up bad, but come on, give the guy a break. He was really only 5 pounds heavier than Vitor what’s the big deal. What a waste of talent
MuyThaiGroinAssault - January 18, 2012 via iPhone app
The ufc did give him a break
too bad this was his 3rd time failing to make weight. How many breaks is he allowed?
Its not like hes lifetime banned from the ufc. I’m sure he’ll be back once he figures shit out.
Tats16 - January 18, 2012
i know where you're coming from psychoblack
but AJ cut was completely justified.
he came over 11 lbs over and i never saw anything like that
except once, Ji Hoon Kim was 19.8lbs over at the weigh in of Road FC but because of that, the fight was cancelled and i say this is the right thing to do.
it wasn’t like he missed by couple of pounds he missed by 11 fucking pounds. if i was dana, i dont care if you had to get 5 gallons of fluid, 11lbs is just too much, i’d have cut him even if he won the fight. (i wouldnt let the fight happen in the first place) if AJ wasn’t healthy enough to make the cut, then he shouldn’t have fought. so it’s his own fault and let’s not blame that to anyone.
that is very unprofessional thing to do and things like this should never happen especially in the biggest mma organization.
DK_Monster - January 18, 2012
MicahtheCynic - January 18, 2012
Is that like coming from Hollywood?
“You can try but it won’t lead to anything. I come from jiu-jitsu.”
Shades of Andy Kaufman, echoing through my mind.
Yeah, I’m old.
RobtWeaver - January 18, 2012
I really hope Wanderlei or Vitor gets injured
and they can’t fight. Does anyone actually want to see this fight again? Just go watch the first one, except take away like 20 punches cause he’ll only need 1 or 2 this time to get the job done.
Tats16 - January 18, 2012
1998
RolloTomasi - January 18, 2012
is that the number of punches Vitor connected on Wandy’s face or the year they fought?
Tats16 - January 18, 2012
actually
both
Andy Anderson - January 18, 2012
2 things to address
1) people keep inserting fat jokes about Johnson, but the man is seriously ripped. Very ripped. he’s not fat.
2) vitor said that wandy doesn’t have the chin to deal with him and then he goes back and says that he didn’t say that….but he did say that….
RandyCouture'sDivorceLawyer - January 18, 2012 via mobile
You do realize that when he isn't training, Rumble eats like shit and balloons up.
And there’s photographic evidence of this as well.
dv8shun - January 18, 2012
and you do realize that these last few days that people have been making fat jokes about him
He’s been anything but fat? There is photographic evidence of this as well.
RandyCouture'sDivorceLawyer - January 18, 2012 via mobile
He does get fat inbetween camps
discoandherpes - January 19, 2012
I can't find the interview (Maybe someone else can)
He even said himself that he loves fried foods and gets fat outside of camp.
That and the Inside MMA screencap, no one’s making these fat jokes out of thin-air.
dv8shun - January 19, 2012
you are both completely correct about that
I was just referring to recently, like since the last weekend, people were posting fat jokes even though dude was shredded. And I doubt he’s a lard ass right now…but in a couple of weeks then yeah I’m sure he’ll be fatty ding songs all over again.
RandyCouture'sDivorceLawyer - January 19, 2012
Seriously, Wandy's "chin being gone" is such a stretch
Look at his last KO losses.
Leben – Could be argued is one of the hardest hitters in the division. Wandy got uppercutted by the Crippler like ten times within the first 10 seconds of the fight. A fresh Leben uppercutting you in the face multiple times with full power would knock some heavyweights out.
Rampage – Rampage is also probably the hardest hitter at light heavyweight, and his hook is his best punch. So Wandy got knocked out by pretty much one of the hardest strikes the division has to offer. And?
Henderson – He hit wandy with an overhand right, who gets knocked out by that right hand of his? Oh wait, a guy with a reputation of one of the best chins in MMA, who fought at heavyweight his entire career, by getting punched under his armpit.
Cro Cop – HE GOT LEFT HIGH KICKED BY MIRKO CRO COP.
Seriously, it’s not that he can’t take a punch, he’s been losing by getting hit by the best strikes in MMA.
Flesh Into Gear - January 18, 2012
I'm probally gonna be blasted for this
You could say the same thing about Arlovski aswell
rscott94 - January 18, 2012 via mobile
Arlovski's biggest problem is that his defensive head movement is "alerted deer" style
There’s some video of Aleks Emelianenko (at the first affliction event) telling him he shouldn’t back straight up with his arms out/head up like that and Andrei’s like “yeah whatever dude.”
menckenstein - January 19, 2012
Wanderlei responds via twitter:
Orcus - January 18, 2012
Reporter who quoted Belfort defends his piece:
Orcus - January 18, 2012
Jesus, why hast thou forsaken me?
Rod Mapada - January 18, 2012
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