When Vitor Belfort returns to Brazil to face Anthony Johnson at UFC 142, he’ll likely receive a hero’s welcome.
The 34-year-old is set to meet Johnson in a middleweight bout on the evening’s main card in the co-main event.
In addition to performing in front of his home crowd, Belfort got the chance to train and prepare in Brazil as well. The atmosphere shouldn’t be too intimidating for the Brazilian as he previously fought in his homeland 12 years ago at UFC Brazil, knocking out fellow Brazilian Wanderlei Silva in less than a minute into the opening round.
And while he has fought a majority of his bouts in the United States since then, Belfort said the change of scenery doesn’t worry him too much.
“For me, it’s the same as fighting anywhere; it’s my job that’s what I do. The Octagon is the Octagon,” Belfort said during a UFC 142 media call.
Belfort is widely regarded as one of the most popular fighters in Brazil and he will be making his 15th UFC appearance. He will also look to extend his winning streak after rebounding from a knockout loss from Anderson Silva at UFC 126 to deliver a knockout of his own to Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133.
This will be the UFC’s second trip to Brazil in five months after hosting UFC 134 last August and the circumstances aren’t all that different to Belfort. Although he was doing media appearances for the event and providing commentary during the broadcast, Belfort is now competing on the upcoming card and he is just grateful to be apart of it.
“It’s a big pleasure to us fighting in our hometown,” he said. “When I started, this sport wasn’t recognized as a sport; we weren’t recognized as athletes. Now we’re athletes, now we’re mainstream. I’m honoured to be competing on this card with these other fighters.”
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