In an interview on Brazil’s Sportv network mentioned here on GRACIEMAG.com, Vitor Belfort made the following comment about the kick that led to his knockout in his title challenge at UFC 126 last Saturday: “If he tries that kick ten times, he’ll only land it once. But he landed it, so what can I do? Total credit to him, he’s a great champion. I’ll come back even stronger.”
Yes, credit to Anderson. Yes, Belfort has just what it takes to come back even stronger and to become champion, who knows maybe even have a better go at it in a rematch against Anderson. Nevertheless, the kick was no fluke nor would he only land it once in ten tries.
Truth is, history proves the opposite. We can look back at the fight against Forrest Griffin, a much heavier adversary and one who was once light heavyweight champion, at the top of the pecking order. Anderson knocked him out with a left – in theory his weakest hand – and even while stepping backwards on top of that. And he had already floored Forrest with pinpoint striking earlier.
He may one day lose, but Silva is different. I’ll go out on a limb to say, drawing a comparison with soccer, that his style of fighting is like Garrincha’s style of play – he’s a showman –, but he’ll likely have a longer career and more achievements, like Pelé.
What Anderson does in the octagon is art. Besides successfully performing techniques most others ignore doing, mixing moves from Jiu-Jitsu, capoeira, muay thai, boxing, taekwondo and aikido, among other fighting styles, his main characteristic is precision. Anderson is very precise, homing in on a precise point on an opponent within a fraction of a second. He seems to see his opponent in slow motion. If that’s something out of a comic book or movie, then his nickname “The Spider” is well deserved.
In the video below, during a laid back training session while going through final preparations for the fight, you can already see it. Even while doing light training, one can tell how Anderson performs the moves like almost no one else on the planet can.
Check it out and see why the Spider is different: