Hard-hitting striker Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort will look to rebound from his knockout loss to UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva when he takes on former K-1 HERO’s star Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133. ESPN.co.uk first reported on the targeted matchup earlier today.
Verbal agreements are in place for the fight, which is expected to take place on August 6th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Akiyama is coming off of a pair of losses inside the Octagon and is in great need of a big win. He will have an opportunity to get back in contention if he can get past Belfort.
Belfort (19-9-0) put together five straight wins from 2007 to September of 2009 to earn a shot at Silva’s UFC title, but had to wait over 16 months to finally face off with “The Spider” after injuries resulted in the bout’s postponement. In February at UFC 126, Belfort was knocked out by a devastating front kick from Silva and his hopes of capturing the UFC Middleweight Championship were dashed in a highlight-reel instant. Now looking to get back on track, Belfort will match his heavy hands and lightning-fast punches with Akiyama’s decorated judo background.
Akiyama (13-3-0, 2 NC) has thus far struggled in the UFC, with just one win in three fights. The judoka has only been to a decision twice and has shown that he is equally adept at stopping opponents with his fists as he is with his wide array of submission holds. However, Akiyama now finds himself giving up a size and strength advantage to most of his middleweight opponents in the UFC, and Belfort will be no exception. If he is unable to take Belfort down, Akiyama could find himself on a three-fight losing skid that could spell the end of his time in the Octagon.
UFC 133 takes place on August 6th at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event also features two additional middleweight bouts pitting Jorge “El Conquistador” Rivera against Alessio “Legionarius” Sakara, and Rafael “Sapo” Natal against Riki Fukuda. Highly-touted bantamweight Michael “Mayday” McDonald will take on Nick Pace at 135 pounds.
(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)