Alan Belcher still would have fought Vitor Belfort with a fractured spine

UFC Middleweight contender Alan Belcher recently spoke to the MMA Hour about his seemingly brutal recent injury, training with a fractured spine in order to face Vitor Belfort in a UFC 153 showdown. The injury was affecting Belcher for a while now, and has spoken to a doctor who told him he had been pushing his body to the limit. The news of Belfort moving to UFC 152 to face Jon Jones came as a blessing as sorts to Belcher, who spoke up about the situation:
“That’s the news I needed to make this decision.

Anderson Silva will not fight for the rest of this year

With many fighters at Middleweight clamoring to call out long-reigning division champion Anderson Silva, the Brazilian legend is hearing none of it. News comes today the Silva will stay on the shelf for the entire remainder of 2012, chossing to forego another chance to extend hisUFC-record title defense streak. Dana White confirmed this earlier today, saying the follwing to MMAJunkie.com:
“Anderson said he wants to take some time off until after the end of this year, and then we’ll start talking to him.

Dethroning Silva: Could one of these five fighters have what it takes

Anderson Silva (32-4) is the reigning UFC Middleweight Champion. He has been called “a mutant”, a “freak of nature” and “the greatest martial artist of all time”. With 15 straight wins in the UFC spanning over 6 years, the question I am most often asked by fans, fighters and fellow scribes is “What is it going to take for someone to defeat Anderson Silva?”
There is no quick or easy answer. A shift up and down to the wrong weight class could be his undoing, likewise age could start to catch up with him, but

Mark Munoz: The Comeback Video

In this video from Xyience.com, UFC Middleweight Mark Munoz chronicles his return from the elbow surgery that derailed him from a possible number-one contender’s spot earlier this year. Munoz is never one to dwell on the past however, and says he has been training to get back to the shape he was in when he destroyed Chris Leben in England last fall.  After his time off, he was up to 240 lbs. with a long road ahead to make 185. His training team at Reign has much to do with his success. Munoz will now

Jake Ellenberger: I can’t sleep at night after losing to Kampmann

In an interview from the Reign Training Center courtesy of MMAInterviews.tv, UFC Welterweight Jake Ellenberger chronicles his struggles after losing a pivotal bout against Martin Kampmann at The Ultimate Fighter: Live Finale. Ellenberger says he does want to make any excuses, but did go into that bout at only 70% of his full health after a drastic weight cut. Stating that he is looking for a top-ten opponent, Ellenberger is hungry to get back on track towards the title. He suggests facing Johnny Hendricks