Silva, Belfort Hit UFC 126 Marks

On the eve of what many consider his most significant challenge, middleweight champion Anderson Silva did his best to intimidate the man who will be standing across the cage from him.

Silva tipped the scales at 185 pounds for his scheduled title defense against Vitor Belfort (185) in the UFC 126 headliner on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The eight other men booked for main card duty -- co-headliners Forrest Griffin (205) and Rich Franklin (203) included -- also met their contracted weight requirements at Friday’s official weigh-in.

Donning a plain white mask, Silva stood nose-to-nose with Belfort after the two left the scales. The two middleweights jawed at one another and had to be separated.

Having thrust himself into the greatest-fighter-of-all-time discussion, Silva will carry a 13-fight winning streak into the match. He last appeared at UFC 117 in August, when he submitted Team Quest’s Chael Sonnen with a fifth-round triangle choke at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. Silva, who turns 36 in April, was behind on the scorecards at the time. A lethal, pinpoint striker and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, he has secured 20 of his 27 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. High-profile wins over Griffin, Franklin (twice), former middleweight King of Pancrase Nate Marquardt, two-time Olympian Dan Henderson and 2007 Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships winner Demian Maia anchor Silva’s stellar resume. “The Spider” has never been defeated (12-0) inside the Octagon.

Belfort debuted in the Octagon 14 years ago this month, at the age of 19 and later captured the light heavyweight championship. Enigmatic throughout his career, he has rattled off five consecutive victories, four of them finishes. However, a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery has kept the 33-year-old Carlson Gracie protégé on the sidelines since he stopped Franklin on first-round punches at UFC 103 in September 2009. Blessed with stinging hand speed and power, Belfort has delivered more than half (13) of his 19 career wins by KO or TKO. He owns other notable victories against 2000 Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland, former Pride Fighting Championships middleweight titleholder Wanderlei Silva, UFC hall of famer Randy Couture and one-time Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Bobby Southworth. A win over Silva would make him the third man in history -- Couture and B.J. Penn are the others -- to hold UFC titles in multiple weight classes.

UFC 126 -- which also features a light heavyweight battle pairing Jon Jones (206) with “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 winner Ryan Bader (205), a welterweight tilt pitting the surging Jake Ellenberger (171) against Carlos Eduardo Rocha (170) and a bantamweight duel between former WEC champion Miguel Torres (136) and Antonio Banuelos (136) -- will air live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. PT/7 p.m. PT. An hour prior, Spike TV will carry a pair of bouts from the undercard: Chad Mendes (146) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (146) and Donald Cerrone (155) vs. Paul Kelly (155). In addition, the UFC will stream a bantamweight dark match between Japanese star Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto (135) and Demetrious Johnson (136) on its Facebook page at 8:25 p.m. ET/5:25 p.m. PT.

UFC 126 “Silva vs. Belfort”
Saturday, Feb. 5
Mandalay Bay Events Center
Las Vegas

UFC Middleweight Championship
Anderson Silva (185) vs. Vitor Belfort (185)

Forrest Griffin (205) vs. Rich Franklin (203)
Ryan Bader (205) vs. Jon Jones (206)
Jake Ellenberger (171) vs. Carlos Eduardo Rocha (170)
Miguel Torres (136) vs. Antonio Banuelos (136)
Chad Mendes (146) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (146)
Donald Cerrone (155) vs. Paul Kelly (155)
Norifumi Yamamoto (135) vs. Demetrious Johnson (136)
Mike Pierce (*171) vs. Kenny Robertson (170)
Paul Taylor (156) vs. Gabe Ruediger (155)
Kyle Kingsbury (205) vs. Ricardo Romero (205)

* Mike Pierce made weight on his second attempt.

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