UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman isn’t known for talking a lot of trash before his fights and for the most part has been amicable with his opponents. Ahead of his UFC 184 title defense against Vitor Belfort, Weidman has been much more vocal with his criticism of his opponent.
Both Weidman and Belfort were present for the UFC’s “The Time is Now” press conference on Monday, and the champion once again made it very clear that he is not a fan of Belfort’s past use of testosterone.
Speaking with Fox Sports’ Marc Raimondi, Weidman gave his reaction to the news that Belfort had recently been randomly drug tested by the Nevada Athletic Commission, saying: “I’m worried. I want him to get drug tested and when I found out he did, I’m crapping my pants for two weeks hoping that he’s still fighting me. He’s the guy I want to fight.”
Weidman has been much more critical publicly about Belfort, which he says is partly due to some statements made by Belfort questioning the legitimacy of Weidman’s hand injury that caused the fight to be postponed.
Belfort told Combate (transcribed by MMAMania) a few months ago that if UFC champions get injured more than once an interim champion should be crowned, and he said this about Weidman’s injury:
“Injuries are part of the sport, because we have to train at a high-level pace. But hurting himself twice in a row with such little time in his career? Are you kidding me? To me, he wanted to keep his belt during Christmas and that was the only way.”
At the Monday press conference, Belfort said that he wouldn’t be engaging in trash talk with Weidman ahead of the fight. Weidman told Fox Sports that Belfort was the one who initiated the ill will in the first place, saying, “He was the one, when I got injured he said, ‘He just wants to keep his belt for Christmas and spend time with his family,’ basically calling me a liar and that I’m faking an injury.”
Even though this will be Belfort’s first fight since having to end his TRT regimen after the practice was banned by the NAC, Weidman is still preparing for an extremely capable and dangerous Belfort, telling Fox Sports:
I expect an even better Vitor Belfort,” Weidman said. “Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise he’s off this stuff. Maybe he doesn’t have to worry about getting tired. I’m preparing for a Vitor we haven’t seen yet, a guy who isn‘t afraid to go hard as he can right away and doesn‘t have to worry about getting tired.
Weidman says that the fact that Belfort has used testosterone in the past is added motivation to put Belfort away as quick and as devastatingly as possible. The middleweight champion absolutely despises the fact that Belfort has had positive drug tests in the past and wants to “smoke” Belfort at UFC 184.
“He’s been caught cheating and I’m not going to let a cheating juicehead take my belt.”
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