Vitor Belfort and TRT. The two are so intertwined that Belfort might as well become a spokesperson for some TRT infomercials at 2 a.m. Of course, that would require Belfort to discuss TRT and he’s shown that to be a recipe for disaster.
Using a translation provided by Bloody Elbow from Globo, Belfort discussed his confidence in getting an exemption for his TRT use prior to facing Chris Weidman for the UFC middleweight strap. He also practically threw every other competitor besides himself under the bus.
“For sure I’m confident. It’s my treatment,” Belfort said. “The UFC and the doctors are already working on it to make things right. I don’t believe that it is going to be a problem. It’s not something from my head, it’s a medical issue.”
“The Phenom” then goes on to take the high road of saying he’s the victim in this whole scenario.
The big problem are the people who abuse in a general way. They use without the right for it, to cheat. I’m the only guy who is rigorously tested in gaps of 15 days, as Dana White said. When the UFC don’t do the test, I do it myself. It’s my treatment. The cool thing is to be fine with your conscience, to know that you are playing fair.
Playing by the rules isn’t something Belfort is associated with these days. Let’s also not forget Belfort is the one who’s cheated in the past, getting popped for the illegal substance 4-Hydroxytestosterone after Pride 32.
But according to Belfort, nobody is playing by the rules except for him.
I’ll start asking for one thing the UFC. All those who fight against me are always complaining. But I have one thing to say: why they are not tested during the preparation for the fight? The thing is that many guys use doping during their camps to improve recovery and such. During my camp I’m thoroughly tested. I will now ask for Dana White to test all those guys who fight against me and keep talking. The same way that my blood is tested, must test their blood to see if they are not cheating. Many use products that we know, they know that they are mocking and they are talking about me. But in reality, everyone is using during the camp. Get there on time and piss when already out of his body. I do not. I am obliged to draw blood during my camp and after the fight. They do not have to draw blood, it’s just pee. Then all the guys who will fight me should do the test with me. Let’s see if their hormones are straights or if they are using an illegal substance. We know that there are a lot of cheating out there. They abuse during the camp. I’m a proper man. Let me take the exam. I will be tested , and they will not be tested?
So Belfort is going with the whole deflect the blame/play the victim card, eh?
Undoubtedly, the UFC and any athletic commission has extra incentive to rigorously test Belfort prior to his fights. He’s been caught before and many people feel the only reason he needs TRT (if it is in fact a real medical concern) is due to his prior abuse of PEDs.
There’s also White’s firm stance against TRT and his plan to “test the s*** out of TRT users.”
Is Belfort making a valid point? Sure. I bet it’s annoying to be tested on such a regular basis that it interferes with your training schedule, but that’s what happens when you get caught breaking the rules, or as some would say, are breaking the rules now with TRT.
TRT figures to continue to be a big issue in combat sports as commissions and promotions are learning how to handle it. The fact that Belfort vs. Weidman figures to be the biggest fight of the year, outside of a potential Jose Aldo vs. Anthony Pettis superfight, will only amp up the discussion about TRT.
Which, if Belfort continues to speak about the issue himself rather than through his management or PR team, figures to be a disaster in the media.
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