MMA veteran Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort has clearly evolved in the sport of mixed martial arts since starting his professional career back in 1996. His recent TKO win over Rich Franklin at UFC 103 showed MMA fans how much of a threat Belfort can be standing up . Not only is he elusive on his feet, but “The Phenom” can sure throw a punch. If you don’t believe us, just ask Franklin what he thinks.
UFC President Dana White did not hesitate to say during the UFC 103 post-fight press conference that Belfort was indeed the no. 1 UFC middleweight contender, even over Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt. A bout between Belfort and the current champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva will easily bring in tons of pay-per-view buys so it wouldn’t be a surprise for us to see these guys meet in the Octagon sometime in the near future.
Here’s what Belfort’s Xtreme Couture trainer had to say about a possible UFC title shot against “The Spider”:
“Vitor is a different person now. He really is. He’s not that spoiled kid that we saw back in the day when he was building his career and got ahead of himself. His head is in the game, he’s very focused and he’s very secure with where he is in the game right now. Rich Franklin is no easy competitor. That told us right there where he’s at. We’re coming after Anderson Silva and that belt!”
