UFC 126 Recap: The Spider Strikes

As the days leading to UFC 126 went by, I found myself eagerly excited for the event’s main bout: Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort. This dream match up had potential Fight of the Year honors written all over it.

First, you have Anderson Silva. The reigning Middleweight champ had 12 consecutive victories and 7 consecutive title defenses (both UFC records) in the Octagon going into this fight. Last August, The Spider’s reign nearly came to an end at the hands of Chael Sonnen. Thanks to a last resort triangle choke it didn’t. I was really interested to see him in action after that trial by fire.

Then there’s Vitor Belfort. He first made an appearance in the UFC at the age of 19 and would go on to become the youngest fighter to earn a victory in the Octagon. Belfort’s fists have put quite a few fighters to sleep. In September 2009 (when we last saw the Phenom), He sent Rich “Ace” Franklin on a one way trip to Dream Street.

And then there was the pre-fight weigh in. I have never seen Silva so intense before a fight. You just had a feeling this was going to be a fight to remember.

The fight started the way I expected it would. Silva and Belfort spent a lot of time circling each other getting their bearings while waiting for the other to make a mistake. After a little more than three minutes of this, it was over very quickly. Silva feinted low and landed a beautiful front kick to Belfort’s jaw. Belfort collapsed like a house of cards, and Silva dropped in two punches for good measure. That was all the ref needed to stop the fight.

With the win, Silva extends his records to 13 consecutive wins and 8 consecutive title defenses respectively. I think he also cements his legacy as one of the greatest (if not the greatest) champions in UFC history. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding.

In other fight news, Jon “Bones” Jones defeated Ryan “Darth” Bader via guillotine choke at 04:20 in Rd 2. I had mixed feelings about this fight. I really like both fighters. They’re both experienced wrestlers with good striking, but I was rooting for Jones a little more.

With the win, Jones (12-1) has earned a title shot against current UFC Light Heavyweight Champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua slated for next month. Bader (12-1) has to work his way up the Light Heavyweight rankings once more.

Other Notable Fights from UFC 126:

Forrest Griffin def. Rich Franklin via unanimous decision.

Miguel Torres def. Antonio Banuelos via unanimous decision.

Donald Cerrone def. Paul Kelly via submission (rear naked choke) at 03:48 of Rd 2.