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– By most accounts, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is at least the best 185-pound fighter in modern MMA history, if not simply the greatest fighter of any weight class.

But as it is with any MMA champion, Silva relies on a team of coaches and training partners to hone wis weapons and prep him for success in the octagon.

However, unlike most MMA champions, Silva credits 58-year-old actor and lifelong MMA enthusiast Steven Seagal for his latest UFC win. (Yes, really.)

"As far as the kick goes, the last time I did my training camp here, I was training at Black House with Steven Seagal, and he helped me a lot with that kick," Silva said through his interpreter and manager, Ed Soares. "He perfected it. I did that kick for a long time, and he actually helped me perfect it."

"The kick," of course, refers to the devastating front kick that Silva (28-4 MMA, 13-0 UFC) used to floor Vitor Belfort (19-9 MMA, 8-5 UFC) in the opening round of their UFC 126 main-event contest, which airs live on pay-per-view from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Two short punches followed to a downed Belfort, but the result was already sealed by the initial snapping blow.

"The kick" earned Silva his UFC-record 13th consecutive octagon win, as well as an incomprehensible eighth-straight defense of his title.

And if you think Silva's quote is just another joke from the often-playful middleweight champ, think again. Silva said Seagal, a member of the champion's entourage for UFC 126, helped him even on fight night.

"That was a thing we were working on right before I stepped out," Silva said. "Even there, Steven kind of corrected me on a few things."

Wherever it's coming from, the techniques certainly are working.

"I think he's the best fighter in the world," UFC president Dana White said in regards to Silva. "I've only seen that in a video game."

Or maybe a Seagal flick.

Wherever it came from, "the kick" certainly did its job. A little more than three minutes into a round that started painfully slow, Silva unleashed the powerful blow. Belfort appeared to believe the kick would hit his chest, but instead, it clocked him square on the jaw.

Belfort went down in a heap, and referee Mario Yamasaki had to halt the fight at the 3:25 mark of the first round.

"I figured that (it would start slow)," White said of the main event. "Both of their styles are counterpunchers. All the talk that goes into it before, they both respect each other's striking abilities. It was one of my concerns and worries.

"I said, 'Listen, this thing could either be the craziest thing we've ever seen or the worst staring competition in history.' We got a little bit of both."

Indeed. With just one powerful flick of his left leg, Silva toppled Belfort, silenced critics and – perhaps most importantly – booked one-half of a potential superfight with Georges St-Pierre.

St-Pierre, of course, must first get by Jake Shields at April's UFC 129 event, but if the welterweight champion can earn the win, he'll then move up to 185 pounds to challenge for Silva's belt.

Despite the massive size difference between the 6-foot-2 Silva and the 5-foot-10 St-Pierre, White said it could be a bout for the ages.

"Georges is a great wrestler," White said. "He can take anybody down. I think stylistically, it's an interesting fight.

"I just love the fact that if both guys clean out the competition in each division, you're able to do a superfight between two guys who are considered the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world."

Obviously, the fantasy matchup hinges on St-Pierre's pending matchup with Shields, but if the Canadian champ is successful, White said the superfight will happen before the end of 2011.

"If the fight happens, it will happen this year," he said.

The real challenge becomes determining where the fight will happen.

"The most difficult part of putting this together is going to be where we hold it," White said. "I don't know.

"It makes sense that we'll do a stadium show. It totally makes sense. If there was ever a fight that we were going to do at Dallas Cowboys stadium, this would be the fight."

If it's not Dallas, Canada seems to be a leading candidate to host the potential megafight. However, Silva said he has other ideas in mind.

"If I had it up to me, I'd have that fight in Brazil," Silva said. "But if that's not going to happen, I'd like to have my fight here in Las Vegas. Las Vegas is my home away from home."

Of course, Shields still could throw a monkey wrench into the plans, so it's too early to call the figth a guarantee. White states that a St-Pierre loss would render a matchup with Silva meaningless, so it's a must-win for the 170-pound champ.

In the meantime, Silva will relish his latest highlight-reel win and perhaps add another Seagal trick or two to his arsenal.

"I just want to prepare myself for the next combat," Silva said. "It's going to be a fun fight."

For more on UFC 126, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.