Vitor Belfort Says He’ll Be Even Better When He Returns To The Octagon

5992593561 586164172c bUFC Middleweight number one contender Vitor Belfort has been running roughshod through competition the entire year. He’s used some absolutely vicious headkicks to put down big names Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold, and Dan Henderson in rapid succession.

His most recent effort at UFC Fight Night 32 saw “The Phenom” become the first man to ever finish “Hendo” with strikes, cementing his place as the rightful title contender. Belfort has looked like an unstoppable monster as of late, but he insists that the best is actually yet to come:

“”I’ll be even better when I return to the Octagon. I know it’s hard to believe that I can get even better than this, but I will. I’ve been training hard, and there are a lot of things that I haven’t done yet. My best is yet to come.” – via MMA Fighting

That’s quite the scary prospect for the talent-laden Middleweight division. For now, the only man who has to worry about Belfort will be the winner of December 28’s UFC 168 title rematch between champion Chris Weidman and Anderson Silva. Belfort stated he’ll be watching the bout but he doesn’t really care who wins. He’s wholly confident that he can defeat the winner:

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“I’m just waiting for the winner. I don’t create expectations because I can get frustrated in the end. I’ve earned my shot at the title and I will fight whoever wins this fight. I just want to get in there and hear them say ‘the new Middleweight champion’. I have a goal. I will defeat the champion and get the title.”

Belfort’s confidence is soaring right now, and for good reason. Although his Blackzilians team underwent a serious amount of heat during an unfortunate downswing, it appears they have righted the ship.

Belfort is a big reason for that. He made his way to the camp prior to his UFC 152 Light Heavyweight title bout with Jon Jones and has remained ever since, using the well-rounded mix of talent to take his skills to a new level.

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And while we don’t see it all that much, Belfort’s wrestling and ground games are on the up-and-up as well:

“My ground game is getting better and better since I started training with Gilbert Burns. And I don’t even need to talk about my wrestling since I’m working with the Michael Jordan of Wrestling, Kenny Monday. I’ve been working a lot in both areas.”

There’s no doubt that Olympic gold medalist Monday has played an integral role in helping the Blackzilians shore up their takedown games. But if “The Phenom” ends up fighting Silva next year, that may not matter all that much. It’s “The Spider’s” pinpoint striking that Belfort will need to focus on, the same skillset that lead to Silva knocking out Belfort with a perfectly timed front kick at UFC 126. Belfort refuses to live in the past and believes a potential rematch will have a different outcome:

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“It’s important that you accept the facts. He surprised me with a kick, and a true champion needs to accept what happened. We can’t control the results, but I can control what I will do about it. The last fight doesn’t mean that the next fight will end the same way.”

With “The Spider” arguably in the twilight of his storied career, a match against “The Phenom” could definitely end up going the opposite direction. After all, Belfort is more motivated and in shape at 36 than he has ever been. Since returning to the UFC in 2009, he’s gone 6-2, finishing each one of his wins. Any controversy following him is being overshadowed by his bulldozing win streak. Will he hoist UFC Middleweight gold in 2014?

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