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Phenomenal Night for Belfort
by Bachir Ayoub, Team IronLife.com Writer
With people still wondering where the “Old” Vitor is, at UFC 46 the “New” Vitor showed up. With the exception of the first meeting between Vitor Belfort and Randy Couture, it is hard to criticize Vitor’s in ring performance. I know it wasn’t the explosive Vitor that showed up to every fight that everyone expected but he still went out and got the wins.  Vitor showed his new found mental toughness by putting his personal problems aside, if only for a few hours, and showing up to fight. Vitor has always been criticized for not being focused and lacking the mental aspect of the fight game to match his impressive raw talent, but at UFC 46 he silenced his critics.
Having his sister missing was reason enough for Vitor Belfort to bow out of his fight and no one would have judged him. I don’t see how anyone could call Vitor soft for not fighting at UFC 46. Vitor showed up, he was in shape and he looked like he was ready to go. The pain on his face while walking to the octagon made me appreciate the transformation of Vitor Belfort. It wasn’t the pupil of Carlson Gracie or the member of the Brazilian Top Team that was walking to the ring it was the Phenom, it was the Vitor Belfort that first stepped into the octagon and thrilled his fans. Compare the look on his face at UFC 46 to that of his fight with Sakuraba. He wasn’t smiling; he didn’t have a swagger, he was marching to the ring.
You might be wondering why I am so amazed by the look and entrance of Vitor Belfort. I am one of the people that were waiting for the “Old” Vitor to come back. I knew that the “Old” Vitor was not coming back when I heard the main event for UFC 46 was still on. Vitor Belfort has matured and you can see it in the courage he showed when he decided not to drop out of the fight. Vitor is a champion but  you can tell he doesn’t feel like it. The celebration after the fight was a somber one. It was more of a celebration that he able to survive one of the most painful nights of his life and not as a champion.
I’m positive not many people would have showed up to work if there was a family emergency a fraction of what Vitor was going though, especially if that job was as tough as having to spend a possible 25 minutes inside the octagon with Randy Couture. A fighter that has received heavy criticism for not having heart or passion in his fights, showed more heart in one night than most fighters will have the opportunity to exhibit in their whole career. Vitor Belfort deserves to be champion. I don’t agree with the method but by going through emotional hell and still showing the commitment to train and show up to entertain the fans, is only done by a champion. The belt is nothing more than a strap with a gold plate, its who the belt is on that adds prestige to the title. Randy Couture is still a champion and if he does not have permanent damage to his eye will damn sure fight again. Vitor Belfort having the belt is little comfort for not having his sister by his side. Vitor Belfort may loose in a rematch, but he was the definite champion in all of mixed martial arts on the 31st of January.
* Article by Bachir Ayoub, Team IronLife.com Writer
* Back to Issue #6 Frontpage
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