Vitor dying to get back in the octagon. Photo: Josh Hedges
Anderson Silva defends his UFC middleweight belt this Saturday in Abu Dhabi. The fight will be against Demian Maia, but the opponent originally scheduled to face the Spider was Vitor Belfort. A shoulder injury and subsequent operation kept the “Phenom” out of the bout. Direct from Los Angeles, the fighter had a talk with GRACIEMAG.com.
“All’s great, I’m here in L.A. I just talked with the folks at the UFC. Lorenzo Fertitta set uo an appointment with one of their doctors. Michael Simoni was the one who operated on me and only two other doctors have my medical history. The doctor I see, one of the best in the United States, is a friend of Simoni’s. The UFC wants me to go to their doctor to, in partnership with Simoni, come up with a date for my next fight. That’s it, we’re going to find out when my next fight will be. Fresh news story, ei?” he adds.
Little by little he is returning to training. Still, certain measures of care need to be taken.
“I’m already getting back to training kicks, shadowboxing… But all within a limit. Michael is holding me back a bit, because recovery from this type of operation needs time. Even being quick to recover, it takes time to scar up inside. So, neither the UFC nor I want to make a mistake.”
On Saturday’s title fight, Belfort is watching closely. Despite the recent spat with the Spider, the fighter had praise for the current champion, just as Demian Maia did.
“First of all, I like Anderson’s recent interviews. I feel he has changed his posture quite a bit. I congratulate him, because he is being humble. I like it a lot. Demian, I was one of the first to put him in MMA. I’m glad to see them in this fight. I want the better man to win. It will be a great fight,” he says in finishing.