Vitor Belfort talks about his idea of fans contributing to pay for his training camp on the internet, ahead of his fight with Ronaldo Jacare at UFC 198 on May 14.
Vitor Belfort has an idea. Concerned with how much spends in a training camp, “The Phenom” suggests fans could help pay for his expenses as way of supporting his career, much like soccer fans contribute to their clubs. To drive his point home, Belfort compared his expenses to those of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, given the right proportions.
“If Donald Trump, a guy who has 10 billion dollars, needs to raise money for his campaign, I’ll show how much I spend on a training camp, I’ll put that up on the internet and I’ll give people the chance to contribute. Families, children, whoever wants to help.” Belfort told Combate. “Any Vitor Belfort fan will be able to help, like soccer fans do with their teams. It’s a way of saying ‘I was part of this’. I believe in investing a lot. That’s very important.
“If presidents like Trump and Hillary Clinton need to raise money for marketing , I’ll show how much I need and how much I spend. I think it’s fair. When you go to church, you must contribute. I think the most honest thing a man can do is show the numbers. The most important thing is to be honest. If you’re straightforward, people will want to contribute. I have one million and 400 thousand Twitter followers. If everyone one of them paid one dollar, how much would I have? It costs nothing. Who doesn’t have a dollar to give? You could make a business out of this and help more athletes. If you give money to a guy who knows how to do it, it will work. I think I have the right mind to make it happen.”
Should the idea come to reality, Vitor believes he could do even more in return for his supporters, like giving out tickets and more.
“You could have dinners, meet ups, etc. The fan, like an owner of the club, has access to a ticket. I have to buy tickets for my friends when they want to see me. Many people say ‘Vitor only gave me a ticket’, but I paid a fortune for that ticket. I wish I could give discounts or let people in for free. But only to put on a show for people who contributed. These are your fans, you must do your best for these people. There are plenty of ways to give back to them.”
Vitor Belfort is expected to meet Ronaldo Souza in the co-main event of UFC 198, in Curitiba, Brazil, on May 14. The card will be headlined by a heavyweight title fight between champion Fabricio Werdum and challenger Stipe Miocic.