Vitor Belfort was long seen as a fighter who never lived up to his potential. However after a drop to middleweight a couple of years ago, his fortune has finally begun to change. In early 2011, he was granted a title fight with Anderson Silva, and would fall short by brutal knockout. In his return bout, he returned to classic form as he easily knocked out Yoshihiro Akiyama to place himself back in line for a title shot.
Latest Vitor Belfort Vs Anthony Johnson Betting Odds;
For the last few years Anthony Johnson has established himself in the UFC as the welterweight division’s most brutal knockout artist, along with a medical mystery as to how he made the 170 pound limit. Well, after scoring two big wins over Dan Hardy and Charlie Brenneman last year, Johnson has decided to move up to the middleweight class, where he has instantly become a contender.
I don’t know how anyone can pick this fight with any degree of confidence. We have two strikers, and more importantly, two very heavy hitters. If either of these guys look for the takedown it will be Johnson, however I have a suspicion that the only reason Johnson employed the strategy he did against Hardy was because of Hardy’s wrestling weakness, and I don’t see that being the case here since Belfort has far better grappling credentials.
Analyzing how their striking actually matches up, I think Belfort probably has a technical advantage, Johnson has the slightest of power advantages, and I think the chin advantage may be Johnson’s as well. However when it comes to a heavy hitter like Belfort, it probably doesn’t matter how good Johnson’s chin is anyways.
Maybe I’ll be shocked and we’ll see the two engage in a wrestling battle since they want to avoid each other’s power, but at this point, I see this as a coinflip fight.
The Vitor Belfort vs Anthony Johnson prediction is that the two conservatively trade strikes early on, with Johnson ultimately scoring a spectacular knockout. Do I have any degree of confidence in this whatsoever? Absolutely not. Even at the -115 line I don’t consider there to be enough value to warrant a play, as there’s no reason to think one of these guys has a clear edge.
Vitor Belfort vs Anthony Johnson Betting Conclusion: Flip a coin. I’ll side with Johnson on the basis of Belfort’s chin, but at -115 I’d still stay away.
Current Vitor Belfort Vs Anthony Johnson Odds;
