# ***OFFICIAL*** Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama Pre/Post Fight



## K R Y (Nov 19, 2007)

*Please conduct ALL of your discussion in regards to Vitor Belfort vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133 in this thread. All threads made in regards to this fight will be merged into this one.*​


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## SM33 (Sep 22, 2009)

Vitor should own this fight, but should also take a leaf out of Bisping's book and not fight too risky, he did get KO'd last time afterall.


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## K R Y (Nov 19, 2007)

Pretty sure he can just swarm Akiyama and not worry about being KO'd. Akiyama isn't Anderson Silva, and he isn't going to catch Vitor with a flashy kick either.

Belfort in the first round. 

Akiyama UD if he survives the first.


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## Buakaw_GSP (Jan 9, 2011)

I got Sexyama by hormonal discharge knockout.
Seriously, Sexyama by decision.


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## Mckeever (Apr 26, 2009)

Akiyama should immediately engage with a front high kick. This will completely **** up Vitor's mental state and game plan. Akiayama via front high kick KO


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## swpthleg (Dec 31, 2006)

I realize he's the underdog, but I had to go with the judoka.


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## SM33 (Sep 22, 2009)

> Pretty sure he can just swarm Akiyama and not worry about being KO'd. Akiyama isn't Anderson Silva, and he isn't going to catch Vitor with a flashy kick either.


That means nothing, point is Akiyama hits hard and Vitor got KO'd recently. You don't have to be Anderson Silva to knock someone out, it is entirely possible that Vitor can get hurt in this fight by being over-aggressive.


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## Grotty (Jul 21, 2006)

You have to question the reasoning behind this matchup, Akinyama -apart from a questionable decision against Alan Belcher who has he really beaten in the UFC?
Belfort loses once to Silva and now he is fighting a guy who if rankings existed would not be near him at present.
Belfort destroys Akinyama in the 1st round via Wanderlei Silva Blitz attack.
C'mon Zuffa give Belfort a top 5 opponent e.g Leben


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## Drogo (Nov 19, 2006)

Grotty said:


> You have to question the reasoning behind this matchup, Akinyama -apart from a questionable decision against Alan Belcher who has he really beaten in the UFC?
> Belfort loses once to Silva and now he is fighting a guy who if rankings existed would not be near him at present.
> Belfort destroys Akinyama in the 1st round via Wanderlei Silva Blitz attack.
> C'mon Zuffa give Belfort a top 5 opponent e.g Leben


What has Belfort done to earn anyone more notable? He has exactly zero meaningful wins at MW. He only has one win that means anything (Franklin at 195) in the past 7 years. Akiyama is exactly the level of fighter he should be facing.


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## michelangelo (Feb 1, 2009)

Yoshi has looked slower and slower with every fight. I don't know if it's conditioning, age, or just a lack of interest in the fight game. 

I really don't like him in this weight division, either. 

I hope he has a decent performance to give his fans hope, though. 

It's really hard to pick against Vitor in this fight.


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## No_Mercy (Oct 17, 2006)

I do believe this may be Akiyama's last fight in the UFC. Vitor is too much for em unless he gets impatient and gets sloppy. Akiyama is pretty wily, has a solid chin, and can bang, but Vitor is an entirely different beast from another. 

I'm amazed he took Leben's bombs. If his conditioning didn't fail em he would have won against em. 

I'm expecting FOTN or KOTN fa show!


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## slapshot (May 4, 2007)

Vitor ko/tko 1st.


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## mo25 (Feb 7, 2011)

If YA doesn't win this one it'll be 3 in row. You guys think DW will cut him?


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## pipe (Jun 15, 2008)

Dana will cut him. A better strategy is to send him to Strikeforce though and build him back up.


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## Drogo (Nov 19, 2006)

I'll have to see what the line on this fight is. I would expect Belfort to win but I wouldn't consider him a huge favourite. I'd certainly bet on Akiyama if the line is decent at all (and it probably will be).


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## vandalian (Oct 14, 2006)

Speed is the big difference in this fight. Vitor has way more of it.
But I bet he won't go right after Akiyama. Not right away, anyway. His MO in his last few fights has been to start slow and get a rhythm going, then turn it on.


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## Bobby Wheeler (Jun 4, 2011)

KryOnicle said:


> Pretty sure he can just swarm Akiyama and not worry about being KO'd. Akiyama isn't Anderson Silva, and he isn't going to catch Vitor with a flashy kick either.
> 
> Belfort in the first round.
> 
> Akiyama UD if he survives the first.


That the second time in the past week someone on here had the same thoughts.Initially I had Akiyama winning by UD, but he looked really good against Belcher, good against Leben, and not so good against Bisping;he seemed to gas in each of those fights, but I know those first two fights were brawls and took some big shots.Sexy has alot of pride though, and in spite of winning fight of the night in all of his UFC fights, he will surely get cut by Dana because of his age.Tough one to call, but Vitor will catch him in the first, and then jump on him like a jungle cat for the KO.


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## SigFig (Sep 22, 2009)

Drogo said:


> I'll have to see what the line on this fight is. I would expect Belfort to win but I wouldn't consider him a huge favourite. I'd certainly bet on Akiyama if the line is decent at all (and it probably will be).


Vitor is floating around -300, and Akiyama is hanging around +250 at the moment...


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## Abrissbirne (Jul 4, 2010)

Akiyama will win this, because Belfort is very weak mentally. I think he is highly overrated and even though i dont think Akiyama is good, he will still take it.


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## Walker (May 27, 2007)

Freaking love Sexyama's walk in- tough fight because I like both guys though I'll be rooting for Yoshihiro because he has to win this fight to stay in the UFC.​


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## vilify (Mar 23, 2010)

watch Akiyama get taken down in the 1st round.


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## UKMMAGURU (Nov 15, 2009)

I don't see how Akiyama could win a UD here unless he utilises his Judo to get takedowns.

Akiyama's best chnace is to KO Belfort in an exchange with a big punch, unlikely but probably his best chance IMO.


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## SerJ (Sep 17, 2009)

Even though it will most likely be three losses in a row for the sexy one, I can see them give him one more chance. He has fought really tough guys and have ALL been FOTN!


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## Walker (May 27, 2007)

vilify said:


> watch Akiyama get taken down in the 1st round.


Would be shocked to see that happen- more like Akiyama leg-trips Vitor if he clinches with him.​


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## limba (Jul 21, 2009)

Belfort quick KO coming up.


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## limba (Jul 21, 2009)

limba said:


> Belfort quick KO coming up.


DAAAAAAAAAAMN!!!


I feel bad for Akiyama! Honestly...Poor guy.


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## AlphaDawg (Nov 16, 2009)

Wow, blatant back of the head shots. That's cool I guess.

EDIT: F*ck Vitor. I know he was going to win anyways but those back of the head shots were the only reason Akiyama went completely out.


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## vandalian (Oct 14, 2006)

And that, as they say, is that.


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## Terror Kovenant (Nov 16, 2008)

No one other than Anderson can beat Vitor at MW.


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## Roflcopter (Sep 5, 2008)

lmao...I think he pissed Vitor off with that front kick.


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## NameChange (Mar 4, 2007)

HOly smokes.


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## Soakked (Feb 5, 2007)

Wow, vicious.


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## Vale_Tudo (Nov 18, 2007)

I was just about to type that Sexy needed to get his hands up or this would be a short fight...


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## Walker (May 27, 2007)

Oh God damn that was fast- shocked that he could destroy Akiyama that quickly. Yoshihiro can normally take huge punishment but Vitor was fantastic. Great comeback win for him. :thumbsup:

Sucks for Sexyama though. :sad01:​


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## Terror Kovenant (Nov 16, 2008)

AlphaDawg said:


> Wow, blatant back of the head shots. That's cool I guess.


No ref does anything about that. Vitor stopped franklin with those, Hendo dropped a few on the back of Fedor, etc.


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## Roflcopter (Sep 5, 2008)

Damn, those were some vicious shots to the back of the head.


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## vilify (Mar 23, 2010)

Walker said:


> Would be shocked to see that happen- more like Akiyama leg-trips Vitor if he clinches with him.​


He took him down with punches LOL


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## ufc4life (Jul 14, 2008)

WOW vitor impressed me .. what a ko :thumb02::thumb02::thumb02:


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## SerJ (Sep 17, 2009)

Damn!!! I think that front kick attempt from the sexy one pissed Vitor off and then he went and killed him. Poor Akiyama; hope he dont get cut. Come on Vitor, one more shot at Andy. He should have done much better against Silva.


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## box (Oct 15, 2006)

AlphaDawg said:


> Wow, blatant back of the head shots. That's cool I guess.


It's cool if you finish them with it xD.

Nasty combination from Vitor, the fight was over regardless of the last few punches.


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## limba (Jul 21, 2009)

Roflcopter said:


> Damn, those were some vicious shots to the back of the head.


Akiyama was out already at that point.


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## WarHERO (Dec 31, 2006)

Did anyone notice that Sexyama slipped? He swarmed very good, but he slipped!


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## Soakked (Feb 5, 2007)

Is it me or does it look like Aikiyama took the famous japanese dive?


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## vandalian (Oct 14, 2006)

Wow, Vitor is _amped._


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## Terror Kovenant (Nov 16, 2008)

WarHERO said:


> Did anyone notice that Sexyama slipped? He swarmed very good, but he slipped!


No didnt see it, because Vitor being a murderer was in the way.


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## Soakked (Feb 5, 2007)

WarHERO said:


> Did anyone notice that Sexyama slipped? He swarmed very good, but he slipped!


He slipped but as he was falling Belfort caught him with a right hook. Hard to see because he did it so fast.


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## footodors (Aug 26, 2007)

Soakked said:


> Is it me or does it look like Aikiyama took the famous japanese dive?


did look strange!


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## rogi (Aug 26, 2007)

limba said:


> Akiyama was out already at that point.


actually he's out after those 2 illegal punches to the back of the head.


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## Roflcopter (Sep 5, 2008)

Soakked said:


> Is it me or does it look like Aikiyama took the famous japanese dive?


Yeah, I didn't see any punch land that knocked him down...definitely looked like he got KO'd though.


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## Guy Incognito (Apr 3, 2010)

Soakked said:


> Is it me or does it look like Aikiyama took the famous japanese dive?


Not really.


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## WarHERO (Dec 31, 2006)

Soakked said:


> Is it me or does it look like Aikiyama took the famous japanese dive?


He slipped just like earlier in the fight!


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## AlphaDawg (Nov 16, 2009)

box said:


> It's cool if you finish them with it xD.
> 
> Nasty combination from Vitor, the fight was over regardless of the last few punches.


I still figured Vitor would win the fight, but the reason Akiyama went completely out was from cheap back of the head shots. Had he followed the rules and not done that, Akiyama would have been awake and it would have been a TKO.

I never liked Vitor and after this, I dislike him even more. I'm going to go rewatch Silva kicking his head off now.


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## usernamewoman (Sep 24, 2007)

yay vitor won his first at mw in the ufc


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## DJ Syko (Jan 6, 2008)

was the ko punch to the back of the head? am still unsure but it looked like it was. It should be a NC or even a DQ if it was.


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## SerJ (Sep 17, 2009)

So does this mean Vitor vs. Leben next? #1 contender fight? I hope so. Vitor can beat Andy.


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## Terror Kovenant (Nov 16, 2008)

Need a gif for evidence if anyone can find one this soon


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## Walker (May 27, 2007)

Just re-watched the end of the fight on slo-mo- Vitor did hit him with 2 shots to the back of the head but the punch before those 2 KOed Akiyama before that IMO.​


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## box (Oct 15, 2006)

He went limp after the last 2, but most people are gonna say it's part of the action and not do anything about it.


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## Guy Incognito (Apr 3, 2010)

Lol at people complaining about back of the head shots.


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## MMAnWEED (Aug 8, 2010)

Thus far....

Fight of the Night: Rivera vs Philippou

Knockout of the night: Belfort

Submission of the night: Up for grabs for Evans and Tito. Philippou must be really kicking himself.


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## Garyl2k (Feb 27, 2011)

rogi said:


> actually he's out after those 2 illegal punches to the back of the head.


Glad I wasn't the only one who noticed this, seems Joe and Co want to ignore this...

I'm not hater of any of these two fighters but them two punches to the back of the head was pretty dangerous and is what won the fight for Vitor.


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## Terror Kovenant (Nov 16, 2008)

guy incognito said:


> Lol at people complaining about back of the head shots.


Its against the rules and a legit complaint.


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## Spec0688 (Sep 9, 2007)

Looked like it was to the back of the head but you it wont be NC or DQ, it's up to the ref to catch that and something very drastic has to happen for fights to be over turned.

Just ask Jon Jones.

There is no way Akiyama had a chance in this, thought it would have been closer though. The fight would have lasted maybe 5 seconds longer if the shots weren't to the back of the head. Akiyama looked out of it and Vitor was going to swarm him anyway, ref would have no choice but to stop it.


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## Guy Incognito (Apr 3, 2010)

> Its against the rules and a legit complaint.


BS. if you have someone hurt and they defend themselves by turning their back to you then it doesn't matter. 

And that is the way it has always(for the most part) been officiated.

Just like when BJ hit florian in the back of the head, Kenny turned his head away and tried complaining about but got ignored.


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## woeisme (Jul 25, 2011)

i agree it was the shots to the back of the head that knock him out cold but you cant really blame vitor at that point, he was in murder mode and threw a flurry of punches beforehand which was unanswered. bottom line akiyama couldnt defend those punches sooner or later he will be saying goodnight irene anyway


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## marcthegame (Mar 28, 2009)

SerJ said:


> So does this mean Vitor vs. Leben next? #1 contender fight? I hope so. *Vitor can beat Andy*.


The bold part explain? Did you not see the first fight silva took his punch, danced around his flurry and then front kicked him to the face. Silva is a counter fighter, vitor is at his best when he rushes in a throws a flurry. Anyway you look at it he is not beating silva unless silva declines significantly.


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## 420atalon (Sep 13, 2008)

Knew it was going to be a tough fight for Akiyama but I thought he would be able to survive a lot better. Makes no sense how he survived some of the shots Leben, Bisping and others have hit him with compared to the couple that dropped and put him out tonight.


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## Soakked (Feb 5, 2007)

Belfort a different animal striking wise when compared to Leben. I knew this fight was going to end early.


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## Black_S15 (Jul 14, 2010)

anyone got a GIF of the finish?


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## Mckeever (Apr 26, 2009)

The first thing I said after the stoppage was:

"Damn, how good is Anderson Silva's striking". What a freak.


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## marcthegame (Mar 28, 2009)

Mckeever said:


> The first thing I said after the stoppage was:
> 
> "Damn, how good is Anderson Silva's striking". What a freak.


lol the first thing i said after that stoppage was "damn people will think this guy can beat silva again."


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## aerius (Nov 19, 2006)

Mckeever said:


> The first thing I said after the stoppage was:
> 
> "Damn, how good is Anderson Silva's striking". What a freak.


No kidding. The thing that's always impressed me about Silva's striking is how smooth and easy he makes it look. It's so fluid that you sometimes don't realize how fast & hard the strikes actually are until he's knocking the poor sucker senseless.


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## No_Mercy (Oct 17, 2006)

woeisme said:


> i agree it was the shots to the back of the head that knock him out cold but you cant really blame vitor at that point, he was in *murder mode *and threw a flurry of punches beforehand which was unanswered. bottom line akiyama couldnt defend those punches sooner or later he will be saying goodnight irene anyway


The fight was over already so the shots to the back were a moot point indeed. This fight was my only lock for the night. No surprise here.

Been saying that Vitor is the clear #2 and biggest threat to Anderson Silva. I've watched him since 97 and he was my favorite fighter. He is no joke. But that also shows what kind of a fighter Anderson Silva is...


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## mohammadmoofty (Mar 26, 2010)

No_Mercy said:


> The fight was over already so the shots to the back were a moot point indeed. This fight was my only lock for the night. No surprise here.


people saying "the fight was already over so it doesn't matter" annoys the hell out of me.

so an illegal move is fine when its the finishing blow?
if it was an illegal knee that finished the fight, it would have been a DQ. what's the difference?


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## No_Mercy (Oct 17, 2006)

mohammadmoofty said:


> people saying "the fight was already over so it doesn't matter" annoys the hell out of me.
> 
> so an illegal move is fine when its the finishing blow?
> if it was an illegal knee that finished the fight, it would have been a DQ. what's the difference?


In all fairness most of the times the fighter is aiming for the face, temple and the opponent rolls over or moves and on impact ends up hitting the back of the head. The head isn't always a stationary target and Vitor especially throw rapid fire punches. The last punch was probably unnecessary though. You tell me if you ever get into a fight. I once got into a scrap and a guy ducked and I spun around almost tripping myself...lolz...then another time I aimed for the head and ended up clocking a guy out by hitting him in the neck. That wasn't intentional...his head just moved strangely.


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## Guy Incognito (Apr 3, 2010)

mohammadmoofty said:


> people saying "the fight was already over so it doesn't matter" annoys the hell out of me.
> 
> so an illegal move is fine when its the finishing blow?
> if it was an illegal knee that finished the fight, it would have been a DQ. what's the difference?


Gimme a break, what was Vitor supposed to do, just calmly wait until Akiyama moved into a position where he could hit him cleanly? thats not easy to do when you are in killer mode.

So defend yourself properly instead of turning you back to your opponent and then you won't eat those shots.


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## mohammadmoofty (Mar 26, 2010)

guy incognito said:


> Gimme a break, what was Vitor supposed to do, just calmly wait until Akiyama moved into a position where he could hit him cleanly? thats not easy to do when you are in killer mode.
> 
> So defend yourself properly instead of turning you back to your opponent and then you won't eat those shots.


you're missing the point. 
they werent legal shots, no matter what way you put it it's still illegal. 
illegal knees are rarely thrown on purpose, they're done in the heat of the moment, why don't refs ignore those aswell?


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## michelangelo (Feb 1, 2009)

Three blatantly illegal shots to "finish" the fight. 

Wonder what Dana has to say about this. 

At the very least, Aki's camp must file a formal complaint with the athletic commission, regardless of the eventual finding.


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## Guy Incognito (Apr 3, 2010)

mohammadmoofty said:


> you're missing the point.
> they werent legal shots, no matter what way you put it it's still illegal.
> illegal knees are rarely thrown on purpose, they're done in the heat of the moment, why don't refs ignore those aswell?


Guillard/Dunham, Dunham was on his way out and Guillard landed an illegal knee. guess what happened....


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## AmdM (Apr 13, 2010)

AlphaDawg said:


> Wow, blatant back of the head shots. That's cool I guess.
> 
> EDIT: F*ck Vitor. I know he was going to win anyways but those back of the head shots were the only reason Akiyama went completely out.


Yeah.
It was the shot to the back of the head that knocked out cold Akiyama.
He was getting his ass kicked anyway, but to be put out cold like that with that kind of shot is disgusting imo.
The reason why shots to the back of the head are illegal is because they are dangerous as hell.


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## mmaswe82 (Feb 22, 2010)

Plz plz Belfort vs Bisping next that would be great seeing Bisping get Koed and the fight makes sence imo.


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## osmium (Mar 6, 2007)

That should have been a DQ reffing is so awful in MMA. He very clearly knocked him out with two punches directly to the back of his head.


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## tap nap or snap (Jan 28, 2009)

the shots were illegal, but i don't think they should count as a dq or a nc as sexyama was moving around as vitor swarmed. i don;t think they were intentional. will have to rewatch however.

does anyone have a gif?


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## Hammerlock2.0 (Jun 17, 2009)

Man, that should have been a DQ or at least a no contest. The punches that knocked Akiyama out were to the back of the head, there's no denying that. Why have the rule when you're not going to enforce it?


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## Hendo (Mar 2, 2007)

*Akiyama vs. Belfort Disgusting fight finish*

sorry for my english










When im watching this i feel like the sports go back 10 years ago. The ref didn't see it rogan didn't say shit dana probably don't care. u see 3 shot back to the head. I believe he deserve a dq for that. I'm not saying he did it on purpose but Ur responsible of Ur action. Punch behind the head is like a knee on a down opponent. It s against the rules no matter in what circumstance.


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## Hammerlock2.0 (Jun 17, 2009)

I agree. This fight should be turned over into a no contest and so should Fedor/Hendo.


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## Dtwizzy2k5 (Jul 7, 2008)

Nah Akiyama was out anyway i dont believe in punishing inadvertent shots to the back of the head in the midst of a wild punching frenzy.


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## js9234 (Apr 8, 2007)

He wasn't out until he was punched in the back of the head. If I remember correctly, Belforts only 2 wins this time in the UFC were from illegal back of the head shots. I'll have to watch the Franklin fight again thoguh but I'm pretty sure they were illegal too.


Dtwizzy2k5 said:


> Nah Akiyama was out anyway i dont believe in punishing inadvertent shots to the back of the head in the midst of a wild punching frenzy.


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## vilify (Mar 23, 2010)

Akiyama was already dead.


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## js9234 (Apr 8, 2007)

Are we watching the same video? He doesn't go limp until the punch to the back of the head. It wouldn't change the outcome of the fight at all, I'm not disputing that. Akiyama was gonna go out either way but Belfort needs to pick his shots better.


vilify said:


> Akiyama was already dead.


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## kc1983 (May 27, 2007)

I really doubt Vitor deliberately hit him in the back of the head, he was likely just too fired up and in the heat of the moment. Sexyama was rolling around on the ground, a lot of punches were thrown, there was a lot going on.

Regardless, those were two BIG shots to the back of the head. This one might be overturned to a NC.


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## Spec0688 (Sep 9, 2007)

You can't control you're punches so precicly when the opponent is moving around like Akiyama was, that last punch was borderline though.

Fighters get warned for shots to the back of the head when their opponent isn't moving, likely getting held up on the ground or against the cage with little movement, it's harder to warn someone in the midst of a brawl like this. 

This fight was over anyway though, Akiyama was practically going down face first before the punches to the back of the head, it was only a matter of time in the Vitor frenzy before the ref decided to stop it. Fights rarely get overturned unless something very drastic happens. Just ask Jon Bones Jones about his one loss in the UFC.


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## vilify (Mar 23, 2010)

js9234 said:


> Are we watching the same video? He doesn't go limp until the punch to the back of the head. It wouldn't change the outcome of the fight at all, I'm not disputing that. Akiyama was gonna go out either way but Belfort needs to pick his shots better.


He took some shots standing, stumbled around then fell to the ground face first. At that point he ate a couple of shots to the back of the head BUT he was already down with his head planted on the canvas anyway. So I really don't see the controversy. I guess Vitor should be more careful in the future but certainly not worthy of a DQ or fine.


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## TheBadGuy (Dec 30, 2009)

Lol at your username being Hendo and you complaining about a disgusting finish. 

Akiyama was going to lose anyway so there is no need for this....


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## Brydon (Jan 13, 2007)

It is so so hard to avoid hitting someone in the back of the head if when you throw the punch to the side of the head, they move to a position that means it lands to the back of the head. It is also really hard to see where punches are landing when they are being thrown fast and in a combo.

Akiyama got destroyed, if your a fan then that sucks but he got mauled by a superior MW.


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## Trix (Dec 15, 2009)

Its hard to tell but those shots may have landed on the side of Akiyama's head.

(I think Akiyama's head may be turned so the rear portion of it is facing the camera's point of view.)

I can't say I much like the way Akiyama went completely limp when he gets hit. It would be nice if Vitor could show more restraint and relax.


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## xRoxaz (May 6, 2010)

it was moreso on the neck but yeah, I didnt like seeing that. Akiyama would have lost either way but Vitor and other fighters cant go around punching behind the head or sneaking up on the neck.


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## rul3z (Jun 27, 2010)

Whats disgusting in the fight that he went down to a punch in the AIR!!! Watch the fight again, I really think it was either fixed between them, or that the Japanees guy sliped after ducking the punch and then came Belforts illegal punches!

Plus that, does Vitor still think he stands a chance against Silva? Boy, go home and play with your children. If you fight Silva a hundred times he will beat the hell out of you, and each time in a different way.


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## BWoods (Apr 8, 2007)

I don't think many of you guys actually know what shot knocked Akiyama out. 

Yes, Vitor did hit him in the back of the head but the rules state (just as Herb Dean explained last week on radio) that TARGETED PUNCHES, meaning punches thrown with the intention of actually landing on the back of the head, are illegal. Vitor threw those punches and Akiyama turned away, exposing the back of his head.

Still, it was not a punch to the back of the head that knocked him out, it was a right hand that Vitor snuck under Yoshihiro's arm. Pay close attention after the first "illegal" blow and you'll see Vitor's right hand come up. 

And for the idiots bringing up the Fedor fight and claiming that both that fight and this one should be overturned, jesus christ shut the **** up. Fedor was out before the punches to the back of the head. It's clear as day. Hendo actually woke him back up with the shots. In both cases, even if those punches wouldn't have happened the fighter was still out cold before them. It makes zero difference.

Before you start posting gifs and climbing your podium you should take a moment to examine what you're about to post.


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## Hendo (Mar 2, 2007)

TheBadGuy said:


> Lol at your username being Hendo and you complaining about a disgusting finish.
> 
> Akiyama was going to lose anyway so there is no need for this....


Lol i chose that name in 2007. I didnt like hendo finish ether. People need to adapt there striking for those situation straigh punch to the spine neck and back of the head got no room in a sport. Just look at McDonald vs Pyle fight finish . U see him adjust is angle and punch while pyle is turning is head. Vitor landed those punch and didnt care less about it.he is way to ruthless while punching.


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## ranja (Apr 12, 2010)

Brydon said:


> It is so so hard to avoid hitting someone in the back of the head if when you throw the punch to the side of the head, they move to a position that means it lands to the back of the head. It is also really hard to see where punches are landing when they are being thrown fast and in a combo.
> 
> Akiyama got destroyed, if your a fan then that sucks but he got mauled by a superior MW.


completely disagree with such statements. Akiyama was moving till the final shots to the back of the head. Vitor knows that its easy to knock people out by punching to the back of the head and he will continue to show blatant disregard to the rules if noone stops him.

Such punches can put these elite fighters in a wheel chair.

I say UFC takes a strong stand on this, especially since Dana White is so "Pro-Fighter". Take away these wins away from people like Vitor who show no regard for the safety of their opponents.


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## rul3z (Jun 27, 2010)

^
All that mattered to Vitor is to jump like a chimpanzee and claim hes back !!!


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## Steroid Steve (Oct 1, 2010)

BWoods said:


> I don't think many of you guys actually know what shot knocked Akiyama out.
> 
> Yes, Vitor did hit him in the back of the head but the rules state (just as Herb Dean explained last week on radio) that TARGETED PUNCHES, meaning punches thrown with the intention of actually landing on the back of the head, are illegal. Vitor threw those punches and Akiyama turned away, exposing the back of his head.
> 
> ...


Those last two punches looked targeted to me. If he wasn't aiming for the back of the head those last two strikes, then what was he aiming for?


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## osmium (Mar 6, 2007)

tap nap or snap said:


> the shots were illegal, but i don't think they should count as a dq or a nc as sexyama was moving around as vitor swarmed. i don;t think they were intentional. will have to rewatch however.
> 
> does anyone have a gif?


No he wasn't. He didn't move his head at all as those two shots were thrown they went exactly where they were intended to go. Vitor either did it on purpose or wasn't paying enough attention to where he was throwing them either way it should be a DQ since it was completely his fault, illegal, and caused the end of the fight.


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## Sambo de Amigo (Sep 24, 2010)

So Vitor should be DQ'ed because people like Sexyama but Henderson shouldnt be because people dislike Fedor....


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## rul3z (Jun 27, 2010)

BWoods said:


> I don't think many of you guys actually know what shot knocked Akiyama out.
> 
> Yes, Vitor did hit him in the back of the head but the rules state (just as Herb Dean explained last week on radio) that TARGETED PUNCHES, meaning punches thrown with the intention of actually landing on the back of the head, are illegal. Vitor threw those punches and Akiyama turned away, exposing the back of his head.
> 
> ...




You call people who talked about the Hendo-Fedor fight idiots for talking about those illegal puches.

Please what do you call yourself when you say those illegal punches of Vitor were not targeted? And really what was he targeting then? His ear on the back of his head (a third ear that only Vitor saw it) ?????

Next time? Don't call out idiots when your the #1 of them !!!


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## HitOrGetHit (Jun 29, 2009)

Ok insults stop here or infractions WILL be handed out to everyone involved.


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## osmium (Mar 6, 2007)

Steroid Steve said:


> Those last two punches looked targeted to me. If he wasn't aiming for the back of the head those last two strikes, then what was he aiming for?


He is clearly looking at the back of Akiyama's head and where his punches were going while holding him down so he couldn't avoid them. The Fedor/Hendo fight isn't even comparable the fight was called before the illegal strikes Fedor got woken up by them not knocked out by them.


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## SlowGraffiti (Dec 29, 2007)

Akiyama probably would've been finished anyway but I agree Belfort needs to start watching where his punches are going because the same exact thing happened when he beat Franklin. It's probably adrenaline but doesn't excuse the rules put into place. Those shots huurt.


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## HitOrGetHit (Jun 29, 2009)

The Franklin fight wasn't bad at all. Vitor threw a punch and Franklin moved his head. That can't really be helped. The Akiyama fight is eh for me. Vitor should have been more careful but to say he was aiming there like you actually know what he was thinking at that moment is terrible logic unless you are a mind reader or your name is Vitor Belfort.


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## Brydon (Jan 13, 2007)

Trix said:


> Its hard to tell but those shots may have landed on the side of Akiyama's head.
> 
> (I think Akiyama's head may be turned so the rear portion of it is facing the camera's point of view.)
> 
> I can't say I much like the way Akiyama went completely limp when he gets hit. It would be nice if Vitor could show more restraint and relax.


He did nothing wrong. His job is to keep punching until the ref pulls him off.


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## xRoxaz (May 6, 2010)

HitOrGetHit said:


> Ok insults stop here or infractions WILL be handed out to everyone involved.


lol this is why i moved to the ufc forums cuz ppl r so sensitive here.


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## ranja (Apr 12, 2010)

Brydon said:


> He did nothing wrong. His job is to keep punching until the ref pulls him off.


his job is to keep hitting the opponent with legal blows until the ref pulls him off.


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## Calibretto9 (Oct 15, 2006)

HitOrGetHit said:


> The Franklin fight wasn't bad at all. Vitor threw a punch and Franklin moved his head. That can't really be helped. The Akiyama fight is eh for me. Vitor should have been more careful but to say he was aiming there like you actually know what he was thinking at that moment is terrible logic unless you are a mind reader or your name is Vitor Belfort.


Pretty much my thoughts.


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## Steroid Steve (Oct 1, 2010)

HitOrGetHit said:


> The Franklin fight wasn't bad at all. Vitor threw a punch and Franklin moved his head. That can't really be helped. The Akiyama fight is eh for me. Vitor should have been more careful but to say he was aiming there like you actually know what he was thinking at that moment is terrible logic unless you are a mind reader or your name is Vitor Belfort.


Whether he meant to "target" the back of his head or not isn't excusable in this instance. The fact is, there was no where else he could have targeted for those last few strikes, so that throws the whether he meant to target explanation out the window. Mistakes can't be excusable by, "oh, who knows if he actually meant to aim there." If he actually had more places to aim, then I'd buy it, but there is clearly nowhere else he could have aimed. For such a high level, veteran striker, he should be able to have better judgement when in the heat of the moment. It shouldn't take a fighter getting hurt for people to realize how dangerous that instance could have been between Akiyama and Belfort.


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## Indestructibl3 (Apr 2, 2009)

I haven't seen the fight, but judging from that GIF - only one of those shots strayed and hit Akiyama in the back of the head, but that's because he was moving. The other shots hit him square on the side of the head, still connecting with the ear. But yeah, Akiyama was out of it before those shots.


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## BobbyCooper (Oct 26, 2009)

I totally agree!!

Why do we have Ref's? Pointless!

Vitor does it over and over again. He must be a dyslexic!! :thumbsdown:


DQ no doupt about it! One hit is acceptable but not every single one.


Akiyama can take bombs from Leben put not if those land at the back of the head!!


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## freakshowexcess (Apr 25, 2010)

Steroid Steve said:


> Whether he meant to "target" the back of his head or not isn't excusable in this instance. The fact is, there was no where else he could have targeted for those last few strikes, so that throws the whether he meant to target explanation out the window. Mistakes can't be excusable by, "oh, who knows if he actually meant to aim there." If he actually had more places to aim, then I'd buy it, but there is clearly nowhere else he could have aimed. For such a high level, veteran striker, he should be able to have better judgement when in the heat of the moment. It shouldn't take a fighter getting hurt for people to realize how dangerous that instance could have been between Akiyama and Belfort.


I get what you're saying here to a degree, but then what is a fighter supposed to do in that situation? Not throw any strikes? It's a fighter's instinct to go for the kill and keep punching until the ref tells him to stop, so if the only available target is the back of the head, it would be tough for a fighter to have the presence of mind to not throw those illegal strikes. Kind of a dangerous situation for Akiyama for sure, but I don't know what else a fighter in Belfort's position is supposed to do.


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## marcthegame (Mar 28, 2009)

He was hurt no doubt, but those punches to the back of the head/neck put him out. However even if they did not happen vitor would have still won. He hurted him and vitor is like a shark that smells blood.


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## Hendo (Mar 2, 2007)

freakshowexcess said:


> I get what you're saying here to a degree, but then what is a fighter supposed to do in that situation? Not throw any strikes? It's a fighter's instinct to go for the kill and keep punching until the ref tells him to stop, so if the only available target is the back of the head, it would be tough for a fighter to have the presence of mind to not throw those illegal strikes. Kind of a dangerous situation for Akiyama for sure, but I don't know what else a fighter in Belfort's position is supposed to do.


Some fighter have the presence to adjust there strike. Perfect example *Mike Pyle vs. Rory MacDonald *finish. during is ground n pound while pyle is turning is head he adjust is punch to not hit the back of the head. He took a fraction of a second to adjust. Vitor is a veteran he cant make mistake like that again and again


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## Spite (Jul 7, 2009)

There needs to be more clarity in the rules and more consistency with the refs when it comes to punchs to the back of the head.

Belfort won have won regardless but...

I remember Brock Lesnar being pulled of Frank Mir and having a point deducted for the same thing, even though in Brocks case the hits didnt look as severe! Had he not been pulled off Frank, he'd have probably gone on to win that 1st fight.


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## Crester (Apr 5, 2009)

I actually agree with the original poster. Before they called the fight... I was actually wondering if they were going to disqualify Vitor. That was a pretty obvious set of shots to the back of the head. I don't think Vitor did it on purpose... I think he was just hitting whatever part of his head he could make contact with. But still... what he did was wrong.

Should it be a no contest?


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## Sambo de Amigo (Sep 24, 2010)

Hendo said:


>












I though back of the head punches were illegal maybe not........


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## Steroid Steve (Oct 1, 2010)

freakshowexcess said:


> I get what you're saying here to a degree, but then what is a fighter supposed to do in that situation? Not throw any strikes? It's a fighter's instinct to go for the kill and keep punching until the ref tells him to stop, so if the only available target is the back of the head, it would be tough for a fighter to have the presence of mind to not throw those illegal strikes. Kind of a dangerous situation for Akiyama for sure, but I don't know what else a fighter in Belfort's position is supposed to do.


He could have taken a fraction of a second and adjusted the angle instead of throwing the same type of strike. It's possible to do. More than likely, the ref would have stopped the fight regardless, but Akiyama didn't lay out until the last few head strikes. I understand that we literally don't know where he meant to aim it, but he's too experienced to not know that throwing that type of strike at that angle is going to land nowhere else but the back of the head. Yeah, he probably was too in the zone or whatever to realize he was hitting Akiyama like that, but like I said, that's really not an excuse.


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## Sambo de Amigo (Sep 24, 2010)

freakshowexcess said:


> I get what you're saying here to a degree, but then what is a fighter supposed to do in that situation? Not throw any strikes? It's a fighter's instinct to go for the kill and keep punching until the ref tells him to stop, so if the only available target is the back of the head, it would be tough for a fighter to have the presence of mind to not throw those illegal strikes. Kind of a dangerous situation for Akiyama for sure, but I don't know what else a fighter in Belfort's position is supposed to do.


But its the same excuse for when a guy knees another guy when they have their hand down they're going for the kill BUT the rules state you cannot do that the same with back of the head strikes , Daley got a point taken off for this 










So in theory if he had Kos hurt and Kos was flailing around and he hit with an illegal knee it would be okay because he "going to win anyway" thats not how it works and something should be done.


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## pipe (Jun 15, 2008)

***** de Amigo said:


> So Vitor should be DQ'ed because people like Sexyama but Henderson shouldnt be because people dislike Fedor....


No, I though Hendo's shots where to the back of the head also, both are questionable in acordance to the rules. it shouldnt be OK to KO fool's whom are dazed/rocked with punches to the back of the head. I have seen this many times in MMA (another being Belfort v Franklin off the top of my head)


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## BobbyCooper (Oct 26, 2009)

***** de Amigo said:


> So Vitor should be DQ'ed because people like Sexyama but Henderson shouldnt be because people dislike Fedor....


No, both should be DQ for breaking the rules!


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## Sambo de Amigo (Sep 24, 2010)

pipe said:


> No, I though Hendo's shots where to the back of the head also, both are questionable in acordance to the rules. it shouldnt be OK to KO fool's whom are dazed/rocked with punches to the back of the head. I have seen this many times in MMA (another being Belfort v Franklin off the top of my head)


+ REP FOR YOU



BobbyCooper said:


> No, both should be DQ for breaking the rules!


+ REP FOR YOU

Some common sense has prevailed.


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## mastodon2222 (Feb 4, 2010)

Hammerlock2.0 said:


> I agree. This fight should be turned over into a no contest and so should Fedor/Hendo.


+1...the reason that back of the "head" shots are deemed illegal is not really because of punches to the back of the head - you can punch me all you want to the back of the head and you'll hurt your hand before you'll hurt my head.
It's to discourage blows to the back of the NECK, where you can punch someone in the cervical spine and paralyze them, it's like hitting your funny bone except your whole body goes numb. 
Vitor was probably going to win the fight, but IMO he targeted the back of the neck (watch video) and it's f**king dangerous.


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## Hendo (Mar 2, 2007)

ref got so much double standard some time. Just think about Mir lesnar first figth.


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## vandalian (Oct 14, 2006)

There should be a DQ only if the official determines that the fight ended as a direct result of an illegal strike -- in this case, that Vitor used punches to the back of the head to knock out Akiyama.

If not, the worst you could do is deduct a point, but that would have been meaningless, since the fight had been stopped.

So really, it all comes down to whether or not the fight ended as a direct result of those last two punches. Apparently, in this case, the referee didn't think so.


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## slapshot (May 4, 2007)

Well as far as strikes to the back of the head go Herb Dean said as long as they are not "targeting" the back of the head he wont call it. I think its silly to try to judge intentions but he said that's what he dose.:confused02:



mastodon2222 said:


> +1...the reason that back of the "head" shots are deemed illegal is not really because of punches to the back of the head - you can punch me all you want to the back of the head and you'll hurt your hand before you'll hurt my head.
> It's to discourage blows to the back of the NECK, where you can punch someone in the cervical spine and paralyze them, it's like hitting your funny bone except your whole body goes numb.
> Vitor was probably going to win the fight, but IMO he targeted the back of the neck (watch video) and it's f**king dangerous.


That's not correct, strikes to the back of the head are more dangerous than strikes to the face, you can look it up if you like.


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## vandalian (Oct 14, 2006)

slapshot said:


> Well as far as strikes to the back of the head go Herb Dean said as long as they are not "targeting" the back of the head he wont call it. I think its silly to try to judge intentions but he said that's what he dose.:confused02:


Why? Referees have to be able to make judgment calls like that, or they couldn't officiate effectively.


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## mohammadmoofty (Mar 26, 2010)

vilify said:


> He took some shots standing, stumbled around then fell to the ground face first. At that point he ate a couple of shots to the back of the head BUT he was already down with his head planted on the canvas anyway. So I really don't see the controversy. I guess Vitor should be more careful in the future but certainly not worthy of a DQ or fine.


that's a big gap in logic. "he was going to get KO'd anyway." so that excuses the foul? you might as well stomp on their nuts. they're going out anyway, no problem, right?


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## H33LHooK (Jul 13, 2011)

Two things are clear to me:

1/ Vitor's penchant for blatant/illegal shots to the back of the head aside, the original strike that downed Sexy' was reminiscent of the Ali/Liston "phantom punch". Given Vitor's obvious marketability, I have to agree with the other posters who asserted: something smells fishy.

2/ Vitor will be consistently dominated by wrestlers like Sonnen. I wouldn't look for too many of those types of matchups from Dana...

.


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## Hammerlock2.0 (Jun 17, 2009)

^You've gotta be kidding. He hit Akiyama on the temple, you can see it clear as day. Nothing fishy about it. His hand speed is off the charts so I admit I didn't see what happened until I saw the replay, but the sexy one did not take a dive. I'm sure there's a slow-mo gif out there.


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## H33LHooK (Jul 13, 2011)

Hammerlock2.0 said:


> ^You've gotta be kidding. He hit Akiyama on the temple, you can see it clear as day. Nothing fishy about it. His hand speed is off the charts so I admit I didn't see what happened until I saw the replay, but the sexy one did not take a dive. I'm sure there's a slow-mo gif out there.


While I agree that a shot to the temple/ear area can be devastating, I watched the fight and replays in HD, and that doesn't look to be what happened in this case.



> His hand speed is off the charts so I admit I didn't see what happened until I saw the replay, but the sexy one did not take a dive


This is subjective. You can not know with any degree of certainty whether or not the fix was in, just as I can't. 

.


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## rezin (May 28, 2007)

H33LHooK said:


> While I agree that a shot to the temple/ear area can be devastating, I watched the fight and replays in HD, and that doesn't look to be what happened in this case.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have found a lot of Vitor's knockouts to look like that. He seems to have the Carwin type of hands where if he lands it, you're done.

I noticed the back of the head punches too but I could have sworn I heard in a previous UFC fight that these types of punches are not a foul if they are coming from the side as oppose to a straight punch to the back of the neck. I think the loop punches tend to not hit directly the back of the head and therefore have less damage. Not sure if this is right or not, but for some reason the theory pops up when I see punches like that.


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## No_Mercy (Oct 17, 2006)

In his defense he throws rapid fire power punches (like an intra Tech 9 fully automatic) and doesn't exactly aim. He is not ANDERSON SILVA. Do you guys remember the laser guided missile (punch) he threw against Irvin, one of my favorites against Nate on the ground with his guard, oh and of course the WMD (kick) to Vitor. This is about Vitor though. He swarms his opponents. He's exactly the same as he was when he first came into the game over 13 years ago. 

BUT I do imagine a friendly fine/compensation could be in order; $5,000 per illegal punch. Something I thought of.

All in all he put on a show man.


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## js9234 (Apr 8, 2007)

The punches were directly to the back of the head and illegal.


rezin said:


> I have found a lot of Vitor's knockouts to look like that. He seems to have the Carwin type of hands where if he lands it, you're done.
> 
> I noticed the back of the head punches too but I could have sworn I heard in a previous UFC fight that these types of punches are not a foul if they are coming from the side as oppose to a straight punch to the back of the neck. I think the loop punches tend to not hit directly the back of the head and therefore have less damage. Not sure if this is right or not, but for some reason the theory pops up when I see punches like that.


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## The Horticulturist (Feb 16, 2009)

I've defended guy who've thrown questionable shots to the back of the head before, but with Vitor it really does seem like he's fighting Vale Tudo style in the UFC...


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## Grotty (Jul 21, 2006)

*Is Akinyama undersized and overrated?*

Akinyama is an undersized MW, he has been beaten by Bisping on points, Leben subbed him and know he has been KO'd. The UFC have to feed him a lower ranked opponent like Ed Herman for him to possible return to winning form, personally i appreciate Akinyama as a fighter however he isnt Top Tier and needs to be matched up appropriately or am i wrong?
Does he need a step down in competition?
Does he need to drop weight?
Does he have a future in the UFC?


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## vandalian (Oct 14, 2006)

Welterweight might be a better fit for him, at least in the UFC. He'd probably be faster at 170 pounds and his excellent takedown defense would serve him well against the wrestlers in that division.

As far as him being 'overrated', I don't think anyone has overrated him. Look at this fight — most of us picked him to lose against Belfort and he did. That's not overrated.


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