[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJjLgMwbxDg&w=560&h=315]
Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. The shift of opponent from a smaller foe to a much larger
one has many observers expecting Vitor
Belfort will struggle if he does not land an early
knockout. In a weekend without a Ultimate Fighting Championship event, there may
not be much better for Brazilian fight fans than seeing two legends
in action again. It does not matter to them that it’s under boxing
rules. The broadcast will air live on Combate in Brazil. The show
will feature Belfort in the main event facing the heavyweight
legend Evander Holyfield, while Anderson
Silva will box Tito Ortiz in
the co-headliner. To make it even more interesting for the
Brazilian audience, the promoters hired Anitta, a popular young
Brazilian singer, who will perform with stars like Snoop Dogg and
Lunay.
To discuss the main attraction, Sherdog spoke to one of the
Belfort’s first boxing trainers, Ulysses Pereira. The coach trained
“The Phenom” for his first fight with Randy
Couture, when Belfort captured the light heavyweight belt at
UFC 46 in 2004. According to Pereira, the ex-UFC star will have a
much tougher task against Holyfield than he would have against
Oscar De La Hoya.
“No doubt the level of the challenge has been raised,” Pereira
remarked. “Holyfield is a natural heavyweight with lots of knockout
power, who fought in boxing rules all his life. Fifty-seven fights
[with] 44 victories, 29 via knockout. Belfort had four moments in
boxing during his whole career, [including] three as amateur and
only one as professional.”
With the experience of having trained Belfort both in boxing and
MMA, Pereira believes that his former pupil will have better
chances in the beginning of the fight.
“Holyfield has been training for a possible third fight with Tyson
and I got really impressed by his shape in some video I saw in the
internet, but of course the age has some weight,” the coach
admitted. “He is 14 years older than Belfort, who may surprise with
his speed and strong hands. I would say that Belfort has chances in
two first rounds, but if the fight goes further, Evander’s longer
experience in boxing must count. As we could see in his fight with
Tyson, he is very good at using his boxing technique to frustrate
heavy punchers.”
Pereira went on to clarify a controversial statement from Belfort,
who claimed that he almost represented Brazil in the Olympics.
“That’s not exactly what happened,” Pereira explained. “Belfort
participated in Open games, then he fought against a guy from
Puerto Rico in the ‘Olympic Summer Festival,’ an event produced in
a big arena in Copacabana Beach in January 1998. After that, he had
to [take] three sparring matches against Marcelino, who used to be
the number one of that division in Brazil. Me, Joao and Paco, the
technical commission on the national team, [had] decided that if
Belfort beat Marcelino in three sparring matches, he would
represent Brazil in pre-Olympic games. But Belfort twisted the knee
in the very first sparring and Marcelino got the place. In the
sequence, Marcelino lost in pre-Olympic and was not able to go to
the Olympic games. So, it’s not true Belfort ‘almost’ represented
Brazil in the Olympics.”
The trainer then switched gears to another key matchup on the
Triller Fight Club show, which comes between Anderson
Silva and Tito Ortiz. An
admitted fan of “The Spider,” Pereira believes Silva has the best
boxing technique in MMA, and he expects that Silva will land a
knockout blow before the final bell.
“Anderson is a spectacular fighter,” Pereira gushed. “His last
fight made it look like [Julio] Cesar Chavez Jr. was an MMA fighter
and he was a boxing professional. His level is way above Ortiz, but
of course Tito is a former UFC champion with heavy hands and it has
to be considered. But, if nothing abnormal happens, I see Anderson
winning via TKO before the eighth round.”
Being the only Brazilian trainer from the state of Para who coached
the Brazilian national boxing team in two Olympic cycles – Atlanta
in 1996, and Sydney in 2000 – Pereira is always looked at by the
MMA talents from the area. That is exactly what led him to work one
of his star pupils, Lyoto
Machida, back in 2004.
“Lyoto was starting to train with me, and [Chute Boxe founder]
Rudimar Fedrigo invited me to train Wanderlei [Silva] and ‘Shogun’
[Rua] for Pride GP in 2005, and I asked him to take Lyoto as [a]
sparring [partner] with me to Curitiba. Coincidence or not, Lyoto
and ‘Shogun’ fought twice, four years later, for the UFC light
heavyweight title,” Pereira remarked.
“Of course, we would never imagine it could happen,” Pereira noted.
“By that time, Chute Boxe was a very closed team for ‘outside’
fighters, they only accepted Lyoto because I requested. But that’s
what sport is all about. I’m very proud to see two of my students
fighting to see who was the best in the world by that moment.”
Machida, of course, was not the only student from his homeland that
Pereira believed in. Another fighter, current UFC fan-favorite
Michel
Pereira, is one competitor the coach feels deserves a lot of
attention.
“Michel ‘Demolidor’ Pereira is a very special guy who learns really
fast,” Pereira made sure to mention. “I’m just waiting for the UFC
to decide his next opponent to fly to Vegas and help him to his
next camp. With all the experience I have training MMA fighters, I
would advise any welterweight to keep an eye on him.”
