MMA Preview – Uriah Hall vs Vitor Belfort at UFC Fight Night 124

Date: Sunday 14^th January, 3am (UK)

Location: St. Louis, Missouri

Venue: Scottrade Center

Uriah Hall who is as talented as he is inconsistent has been granted his legend to battle against in the form of the Brazilian Vitor Belfort. If these electrifying middleweights turn up to St. Louis on their best form, this fight will be nothing short of spectacular for however long it lasts but they have struggled to form any kind of consistency inside the octagon.

Belfort is a true legend and has been a star of the sport almost since it began, making his debut for the UFC all the way back at UFC 12 in 1997 when he was only 19. He made his name with a plethora of brutal knockouts but since his ban for using performance-enhancing drugs, he has looked visibly different in his appearance as well as his displays inside the octagon, lacking any of the explosiveness and power that earned him wins over some the very best fighters in the world as well as the UFC light heavyweight title.

Hall is another fighter who has captivated the MMA world, using his phenomenal athleticism and skill to put opponents to sleep in a scary fashion. However, looking like a world-beater on his day, he has formed a habit of following up fantastic wins with disappointing losses. He recently suffered two knockout losses to Derek Brunson and Gegard Mousasi but replied brilliantly in his last fight against Krzysztof Jotko with a ‘Performance of the Night’ and a ninth knockout of his career.

So, what can we expect from Hall in this fight? Belfort is not the fighter he used to be but still has the predator mentality of hunting the knockout. So, this could unsettle Hall like Brunson and Mousasi did but it could also play into his hands. Possessing the physical attributes Belfort used to – Hall is an absolute beast and will use his speed advantage as well as his reach advantage to beat Belfort to the punch.

Striking and grappling stats sourced via FightMetric.