By Thomas Gerbasi (January 29, 2004)
Almost seven years ago, Vitor Belfort was 'The Phenom', all flying fists and youthful vigor. Three straight UFC knockouts in early 1997 made his legend, and there seemed to be no limit to what would be done by the then-19-year-old who fought as if he were double-parked.
Then reality stepped in, in the form of mixed martial arts' truth machine, Randy Couture. Before smashing the dreams of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz in 2003, Couture sent the supposedly unbeatable Belfort down to a devastating stoppage defeat on October 17, 1997.
For the tanned Brazilian superstar, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi was the unlikely place for a life-altering moment, but mentally, the defeat couldn't have come at a better time.
"I was totally out of focus," Belfort told MaxFighting. "I wasn't training, I was thinking I was the greatest and that nobody could beat me."
Losing to Couture forced him to take a hard look in the mirror, a tough process for anyone to undergo, especially an invincible teenager, but Belfort says it was a lot easier than you think.
"I think it was very simple and something good for me to learn. Sometimes in life we all learn. You can have a guy who's smart and a guy who is intelligent. The intelligent one learns from the mistakes of others. The smart one learns from his own mistakes. So you have two kinds of people. I would rather be the intelligent one, but sometimes you have to learn from your own mistakes. I did it."
On Saturday, Belfort finally gets his chance for redemption when he rematches with Couture at UFC 46. This time, Belfort's the underdog. And while nominally at stake is the UFC light heavyweight crown held by Couture, in reality this bout may once and for all determine how fight fans will remember Belfort.
"It's going to be a totally different fight," said Belfort. "I'm taking this one seriously. The last one I didn't. I'm more mature now, more focused. So is he. He has more skills, so I think it's going to be a great fight. We're both there in the good time of our fighting lives."
As a fighter, the 26-year-old Belfort may be rediscovering his prime, much like Couture found the fountain of youth when he dispatched of Liddell and Ortiz. But outside the ring, Belfort's life ground to a screeching halt on January 9, when the joy of his December marriage to Joana Prado was shattered by the news that his sister, Priscila Vieira Belfort, disappeared in Rio De Janiero.
No doubt devastated by this turn of events, especially before the biggest fight of his career, Belfort has put on a brave public face, though his hesitant tone doesn't hide the emotions swirling through him as he tries to keep his focus on Couture.
"The only reason I'm here is because God wants me here," said Belfort. "He' s given me the strength. If not for that I wouldn't be here; I'd be very depressed. I'm praying for God to continue to give me the strength until the day of the fight. Then I can go back and hopefully I can have good news of my sister. I'm supposed to go to a honeymoon, but my honeymoon is not going to happen."
Belfort pauses again, and you've got to wonder what torture this guy goes through on a daily basis, not only worrying about his sister, but also about building a life with a new wife during this crisis, as well as the small matter of facing a smiling assassin inside the cage on Saturday. Yet while the Belfort of old would have self-destructed in the ring and out, this one has a different outlook on having personal crosses to bear, something aided not only by his faith, but also by his new bride.
"Of course, when you get married you get mature," said Belfort. "You start thinking different. You're not partying anymore and you're being a man. My strength comes from God. If there wasn't God in my life I wouldn't be here; I could be anywhere. God made me somebody. He turned me from nothing into somebody. I was nobody. Now I know that."
Athletes have never been shy about using their faith as a means to further either their careers or their image, and some can be downright preachy about their beliefs. Belfort doesn't fall into that category though, and his faith seems to truly inspire him through times good and bad.
"I'm stronger now," he said. "And my faith gets stronger and stronger every day."
He'll need all the help he can get against Couture, who not only holds a victory over the Brazilian, but who is without question one of those rare athletes who gets better with time.
So how can Belfort win?
Some believe that Belfort's maturity as a fighter bodes well for him, with his improved ground game being the difference between now and 1997. Yet most have lit their candles and made their offerings to the gods in the hopes of seeing the flurrying dervish that was "The Phenom" return to the Octagon Saturday. Fans got a taste of the ol' Vitor when he stopped Marvin Eastman in his last bout, but it was obvious that questions about his fast punching barrages have become tiresome for Belfort.
"I'm doing my best and I'm doing my part," he explains. "I want to be the winner and the champion. I'm going to be focused and I'm going to do my best. There is no doubt."
His strategic answer may fall somewhere in the middle, as Belfort needs to be able to hang with Couture both standing and on the ground to have a chance of unseating the champion. It's a tall order for any fighter, but strangely enough, the emotions of the last few weeks may be the impetus for a stirring upset by Belfort.
"When you are true with your feelings you can do what you are supposed to do better," said Belfort. "I think my emotions help my will."
If you look at his fight history, he's not far off the mark. In some lackluster fights in Japan for Pride, his record was 4-1, but three of those victories came via sloppy decisions, and he appeared to be fighting for a paycheck, not a win. Even in his entertaining loss to Liddell at UFC 37.5, it wasn't a fiery Belfort that took on 'The Iceman'. But one look at his eyes before the fight with Eastman, and you had no question that Belfort was on.
And so we come to Saturday. It's a fight Belfort says, "Means everything. It means my dream." It was the same dream shared by a young man a world away from Brazil in 1990, James "Buster" Douglas, who used the emotions generated by the death of his mother to upset a fearsome champion named Mike Tyson.
Vitor Belfort is no fool. He knows the type of fighter he's facing in Couture. But he also knows what he has gone through and where he's been. He's ready to do this - for God, for Country, for Priscila.
"It's so good to have a challenge in your life," said Belfort. "To climb the mountain."
źródło:Maxfighting
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