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For the UFC Middleweight Championship at UFC 126 on Feb. 5 in Las Vegas will feature a long awaited fight between Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort.

For this matchup in MMA betting, UFC odds have Silva as a -270 moneyline favorite.

Though 8Reigning Champion Silva was stretched to the limit by his last challenger Chael Sonnen, he has not lost a bout since 2006. For Silva’s middleweight crown, the hard-hitting Belfort possesses one of the biggest threats that he has faced.

Silva still holds one of the most complete skill sets in MMA, in spite of lackluster performances in several of his last few bouts. Even after having taken a beating, he has proven that he has knockout power, great submission skills, and the endurance to come from behind. Silva faces a big test in Belfort, who is ranked by many as the number one middleweight in the world.

Several years ago, which carried him to the top of the UFC light heavyweight division; Vitor Belfort is famous for his fast hands, and devastating knockout power. He has fallen short in big match ups on more than one occasion as well as he has shown to have poor conditioning in previous bouts. Belfort has the kind of power that can end a fight in the blink of an eye, in spite of this he remains a huge threat in the bout.

Who can impose their will during the bout, this match will boil down to him. Belfort may be able to stun Silva, who has slowed in the last two years, however the longer the fight goes on the more it favors Silva, if he can press the action early.

On Tuesday, January 4, M-1 Global and Strikeforce announced that they had come to terms on a new multi-fight agreement to promote events headlined by Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko. On February 12, the first fight under the new contract will take place at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Against Antonio “Big Foot” Silva, Fedor will step into the cage. In a Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament, the Fedor vs. Silva fight will be one of four quarterfinal fights. One other quarterfinal bout, Andrei Arlovski vs. Sergei Kharitonov will also be featured in the February 12th event.

M-1 Global President Vadim Finkelchtein, Emelianenko’s manager told that the new deal is for four fights. Finkelchtein added that they were working on the deal for a long time and everyone was interested in continuing the relationship between M-1 Global and Strikeforce. He said that the matter was to make sure that everyone was happy.

He added that Fedor’s requirements was not out of the ordinary and it was just a matter of security and for Fedor, that certain things would be guaranteed, if he performed the way to which he is accustomed. At the end of the day, what mattered were both sides respecting each other.

About Fedor’s new contract, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said that they are thrilled to have come to a long-term agreement with Fedor and M-1 Global. The MMA fans worldwide will be truly captivated to have the greatest MMA fighter of all-time put his legacy on the line in a single-elimination tournament. He added that in the world, Strikeforce is home to the best heavyweight division and the athlete who runs the gauntlet in a tournament such as this would have to be considered the best heavyweight fighter in the world.

For his part, Fedor said that he has been training very hard since his last fight and he cannot wait to get back in the cage. He added that with the best heavyweights in the world, Strikeforce has assembled a roster and together with M-1 GLOBAL, we have the opportunity to fight the best in a great tournament format.