Last Updated on February 5, 2011 7:00 pm by drew
Silva vs. Belfort Pick
LAS VEGAS, NV (TheSpread) – Two of the fastest hands in all of MMA collide in the main event of UFC 126 Saturday night as Anderson Silva defends his middleweight title against Vitor Belfort.
Silva enters the fight as the favorite according to oddsmakers from online sportsbook Sportsbook.com, as the champion has a betting line of -250, while the challenger comes in with betting odds of +190. UFC 126 takes place from the Mandalay Bay Events Center and will air live on Pay-Per-View at 10PM ET.
HOW SILVA WINS
Silva (27-4) has won 13-straight fights overall and it is his ability to gauge his opponents speed and trends that have allowed him to be so dominant. Silva tends to start slow to feel out his opponents and then unleash his fast and powerful hands and feet. This fight shouldn’t go to the ground, but if it does, Silva has the edge there with his submission ability. For Silva to win, he can either submit Belfort in the later rounds or have the quicker hands and land the cleaner punches.
HOW BELFORT WINS
Belfort (19-8) has won five straight bouts but not faced the same talent as Silva. He has been away from fighting for over a year, but that shouldn’t take away from his strength, his boxing. Belfort has the ability to really explode on his opponent and end things early, and he will need to do that in this bout. Belfort needs to come out like a house of fire and not allow Silva that time to get comfortable and gauge his speed. Belfort may have more power than Silva and the only way he can win is by knockout.
WHO TO PICK?
Silva hasn’t faced someone of equal striking ability before, so this fight should be interesting and the betting odds should be closer than they are in my opinion. Still, Silva is a gamer and a proven champion while Belfort has a history of folding when things don’t go his way early. I look for Silva to start slow and draw the fight out before jumping on a tired Belfort and scoring a big punch that sets up a choke on the ground in the third round.
UFC 126 FREE PICK: ANDERSON SILVA -250
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