Vitor Belfort: Anderson Silva is a champion but he's also a human being

Props: Fighters Only
Quoteworthy:

"The preparation is excellent. I train hard for some time with Randy Couture. I’m ready to burst. I train full time every day, have a coach for attacks, another to set the game plan, other exclusive for jiu-jitsu and two for karate. It’s a job on which you have to be focused. (Anderson's) a complete fighter, a champion, a fighter that has all the necessary abilities for a champion but he is a human being. I define him as a champion. His life wasn’t easy at all but today MMA provides him a very good life. It’s a huge pleasure to fight with an athlete so valuable like him. I respect him a lot. My strategy is to fight. I’m a complete fighter who looks for the knockout standing and the submission on the floor. We follow whichever pathway the bout will take."

Middleweight number one contender Vitor Belfort says he has been drilling all areas in training in the lead-up to his title shot against Anderson Silva at UFC 126, which is set to go down on Feb. 5 in Las Vegas. While there is a large contingent of fans who do not feel "The Phenom" has truly earned his shot at the 185-pound gold, he says he's ready for wherever the fight may go, whether that be standing up or on the floor. "The Spider" hasn't lost a fight since his debut with the UFC back in June of 2006, but Belfort says he's only human like the rest of us. You know what that means -- he can be knocked out (or submitted) like the rest of us. When these two Brazilian stand-up specialists meet in the center of the cage, how do you want to see the fight play out?