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By Laramey Leet, MMATorch Columnist
With news of Vitor Belfort pulling out of UFC 112 due to a shoulder injury, it seems the 2009 UFC injury bug has stuck around for 2010. Belfort will be out for five to eight months healing his shoulder. The injury to Vitor really shakes up the entire middleweight division. It drops Vitor out of fans' minds for a long time. Vitor was undeserving of his title shot to begin with, so this could possibly mean he might have to climb the ladder to get a crack at the belt when he is healthy.
I am completely up for making Vitor Belfort climb up the Middleweight Division. There are a lot of interesting match-ups for him at 185 in the UFC. Wand vs. Belfort 2, Belfort vs. Belcher, Belfort vs. Okami, or even Belort vs. Akiyama all have the possibility of being great. Any of these fights could easily be a co-main event. It would help Belfort and also help his opponents get recognition as a middleweight. Let's face it, many people cannot name ten middleweights in the UFC, due to Silva and his slaughter of the division.
The UFC has chosen Demian Maia to replace Vitor Belfort at UFC 112. I believe there is really no one close to deserving a title shot in the Middleweight Division. There just does not seem to be one competitor to always bring his A-game every night he fights. I understand that Maia beat Chael Sonnen, but Maia also got turned for a flip against Nate Marquardt. It is just a continuous circle of loss to wins in the division.
If only Dan Henderson was still in the UFC, things would be so much simpler. It would have been an easy switch from Belfort to Henderson and we would not have to worry about the competition level of the fight. Everyone has seen how Maia's standup looks when he recently fought Dan Miller; he does not have a chance in hell standing up against Silva. His only chance is on the ground, and we have seen this done too many times against Silva. Grappler vs. Striker makes for a very dull fight with Silva. Who remembers Thales Leites or even Travis Lutter for that matter?
I would have really liked to see Yushin Okami or Yoshihiro Akiyama against Silva. Okami only has two losses in the UFC; one by Chael Sonnen and the other by Rich Franklin. Both of those guys are top tier fighters in the UFC and it does not hurt your record by losing to guys like that.
Akiyama has not been defeated in the UFC and only has one loss to his record as a mixed martial artist - and that loss was back in 2005. It would have been even better to see Chael Sonnen try to back up all the smack he talked, but due to his medical suspension and lack of time to train, it made it almost impossible to take the fight.
Demian Maia, on the other hand, has looked unimpressive in his last two bouts. Although Maia has defeated Sonnen, Quarry, and MacDonald in his run at the UFC Middleweight Division, it is his ground work that got him the victories.
Maia has been finishing guys on the ground, but what are the chances of Maia overpowering and getting the takedown against Silva? It would make a better fight to see a stand up guy against Silva. Okami and Akiyama both would make great fights; they might not have the best credentials to fight for the title, but when in the UFC has that mattered?
I can see the UFC building the fight as the best striker vs. the best grappler in the Middleweight Division. This would not have been a problem, but they have already used this against Thailes Leites. I just hope that Maia does not just throw himself on the ground, and I really do not see him doing that, but Silva just has a way of taking everyone's game plan and shoving it down their throat.
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Leave comments or ask questions at MMATorch.com or email Laramey at LarLLeet@yahoo.com. Tell me who you would put against Anderson Silva at UFC 112. Why you wouldn't put Demian Maia in or any suggestions that you have. Thanks for all your comments.
[Anderson Silva art credit Cory Gould (c) MMATorch]
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