Anderson Stands Alone in MMA Striking at UFC 126

Sunday, 06 February 2011 00:31

Written by Dave Walsh

Anderson Silva squared off with most recent challenger, Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort. After his last defense against Chael Sonnen there were many questions as to where Anderson Silva really stands. His stand up has always been his strong point, but Chael Sonnen was able to score on him and even knock him down in their fight. To many, this was a glaring hole in his game, and against a boxer like Vitor Belfort, could mean bad things.

Most of the first round featured both men tentative and afraid to strike until Vitor Belfort landed a one-two combo. Silva gets frustrated and throws a high kick that Vitor catches and takes him down with. Silva is easily able to hop up and get his back, then Vitor spins around and eats a clinched knee from Silva. Silva then channeled our favorite retired K-1 MAX fighter not named Masato and lands a Kohi front kick to KO Vitor, followed by a few follow-up shots for good measure. Anderson wins by first round KO.

Anderson Silva quietly sits upon his MMA striking throne, but we still have questions about where he stands against professional boxers, kickboxers and muay thai practioners.

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