Alan Belcher vs. Ricardo Almeida: UFC 81
November 24, 2007 by Gary Herman
According to MMA Weekly, Alan Belcher will take on returning veteran Ricardo Almeida on Feb. 2:
Belcher said the following about his opponent:
“He beat Nate Marquardt by submission and Ryo Chonan be decision and his jiu-jitsu is really good, so it is going to be a good fight.”
Personally, I was hoping for a rematch between Belcher and Kalib Starnes from UFC 77 in October. The fight was an exciting slugfest until the referee stopped the fight due to a deep gash over Starnes’ eye. Fighting Almeida in Almeida’s first fight since 2004 will pose a much different challenge than Starnes did. A win over Almeida would show that Belcher is capable of defeating a well-skilled ground fighter whereas the fight with Starnes was mostly fought on the feet.
Check out the full UFC 81 fight card and more on FiveOuncesofPain.com.
This is a really good fight, I like it. Belcher’s got great muay thai and we all know that Almeida is a ground technician. Should be a fun one. Definitely no cupcake for Almeida’s return.