By MATT MOLGAARD
MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer

There’s no denying that Vitor Belfort is a dangerous opponent for anyone to engage him in fistic competition. He’s got lightning fast hands that are just about as heavy as they come at middleweight, and he’s got a ton of experience on the big stage. He’s also arguably the most explosive fighter in our sports history…sometimes.

Belfort's southpaw stance could play a major factor in this fight as well. Recall, it was a Sonnen left that first had Anderson reeling at UFC 117. While Vitor’s footwork is admittedly crafty, his willingness to trade in the pocket could spell disaster when these two finally enter the cage together; Anderson doesn’t typically spend much time in the danger zone, he lands, and disappears before the counters come flying. Perhaps most foreboding for Vitor is his cardio. Vitor has been known to fade the longer the fight lasts, and the wisely conservative Silva will likely still be wrecking machine come round five, should the fight last that long.

All that negativity out of the way, I must confront the fact that when it comes to fight ending explosions, Vitor is an absolute machine. Prior to shattering his hands a few times Vitor was rarely reluctant to unleash his extremities in a blurry eruption of violence. Now that the miles and injuries have caught up Vitor doesn’t throw with quite the same ferocity, but when he flurries, well it’s a beautiful sight.

The question is, plain and simple, can he unleash that beast that earned him the tag “Phenom” upon Silva? A few fights lead me to believe that yes, he may very well be able to. A few lead me to believe otherwise.