Posted by Jake Rossen/Sherdog.com
It's not official, but signs are still pointing to an Anderson Silva-Vitor Belfort title bout for Jan. 2. And if it transpires, Wanderlei Silva doesn't think it will be too enjoyable an evening for Belfort.
"Destroy" was his verb of choice when speaking to Sherdog's Marcelo Alonso about his onetime opponent's chances against Anderson.
"I think it's a very interesting fight," Wanderlei said. "Belfort has good boxing skills and is a good athlete, but everybody knows that he has a weak psychological aspect and I think he will shake when he gets in the Octagon with [Silva]."
Despite looking unshaken in recent bouts with Terry Martin, Matt Lindland and Rich Franklin, Belfort's past history with being a psychological mess continues to haunt him. (To be fair, none of those men got all that adversarial with Belfort -- and resistance was often all he needed to begin shrinking in the ring.)
Wanderlei also commented on the potential for a rematch with Belfort, which seems like a no-brainer for 2010. It could be the first instance of a fight sequel taking place 12 years after the original. Hopefully, it'll work out better than the film series that take their sweet time. (Have you seen "The X-Files: I Want to Believe"? No? OK. Don't.)
ESPN.com Mixed Martial Arts blog
