THE CANADIAN PRESS
LAS VEGAS — He’s been above the law, hard to kill, marked for death, on deadly ground and out for justice. Not to mention under siege — twice.
But now actor Steven Seagal can say he has helped defend a world title.
Middleweight champion Anderson Silva, a friend of Seagal, credited the 58-year-old actor/martial artist for the front kick that knocked out Vitor Belfort in the first round at UFC 126 on Saturday night.
Silva looked low and then flicked his foot high, catching Belfort flush on the chin. The challenger crumpled and fell backwards, taking a few more punches before the fight was stopped.
"Last time I did my training camp here, I was training at Black House (gym in Los Angeles) with Steven Seagal and he helped me a lot with that kick," Silva said later.
"He perfected it. I did that kick for a long time and he actually helped me perfect it, along with (fellow fighters) Pedro Rizzo and Feijao (Rafael Cavalcante). That was a kick we were working on right before I stepped out (Saturday against Belfort) and actually there Steven kind of corrected me on a few things."
Seagal, a black belt and former instructor in aikido, said he learned the kick more than 40 years ago in Japan.
Asked what he thought when he saw Silva execute it, Seagal said: "I thought ‘Man he did exactly what I had asked him to do’ and I was very proud of him."
