The UFC was planning to match welterweight contenders Tyron Woodley and Hector Lombard as the headliner for a December show in Australia, but had to change plans.
Woodley declined to face his teammate, even after Lombard said he wanted to fight his fellow American Top Team member “so bad.” The bout will not materialize, but that doesn’t mean that ATT won’t have two fighters clashing inside the Octagon.
With a handful of welterweights competing inside the same promotion, the team is warming up the idea of an ATT vs. ATT fight in the UFC, and the ATT head coach is making an example of himself.
“What better example can I give than competing against a former teammate? I’m facing Ze Mario Sperry at ADCC 2015. I don’t have a better example than that,” Ricardo Liborio told MMAFighting.com.
“We have Robbie Lawler, Tyron Woodley, Hector Lombard, Thiago Alves, Ben Saunders, Colby Covington. We have a lot of great talents at 170. What can we tell them? There’s only one belt and they understand it.”
Three of the top six UFC welterweights train at American Top Team, and Liborio knows that their paths will eventually cross one day.
“If they have to fight, they have to fight. We can do different camps for both. We wouldn’t like to see it happening, but they eventually will have to fight. At the end of the day, it’s an individual sport,” he said.
“We’ve talk about this for a long time. They understand it, but I won’t be in anyone’s corner. Tyron and Hector, I train them both. Don’t ask me for advice, anything. I’m out. Whoever wins, ATT wins.
“Tyron fighting Hector would be easier because Tyron sometimes trains in his own gym, so we could find a way to support them both,” he added. “But I would never get involved in this. I would be watching it at home.”
Robbie Lawler will challenge UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks a UFC 181 on Dec. 6, so ATT could have two of their 170-pounders facing each other for the UFC belt in the future.
“Two American Top Team fighters fighting for a title? It means we’re doing something right here,” Liborio said. “It’s an individual sport and everybody wants the same thing.”
Lawler fought Hendricks to a close decision at UFC 171, but earned another shot at the gold after back-to-back wins over Jake Ellenberger and Matt Brown. This time, Liborio is confident that his protégé will walk with the title.
“Robbie has all the tools to win,” he said. “I believe Hendricks will change his strategy this time, will try some takedowns to work on top. We’re changing a few things in Robbie’s wrestling and jiu-jitsu training to get him ready.
“It’s Robbie’s time,” he continued. “I will always believe in my fighters, but he’s really prepared to get this done. There are a lot of guys from his Miletich days who became champions, and this is his time. He fit pretty well in the American Top Team and that helped him a lot.”
The UFC was planning to match welterweight contenders Tyron Woodley and Hector Lombard as the headliner for a December show in Australia, but had to change plans.
Woodley declined to face his teammate, even after Lombard said he wanted to fight his fellow American Top Team member “so bad.” The bout will not materialize, but that doesn’t mean that ATT won’t have two fighters clashing inside the Octagon.
With a handful of welterweights competing inside the same promotion, the team is warming up the idea of an ATT vs. ATT fight in the UFC, and the ATT head coach is making an example of himself.
“What better example can I give than competing against a former teammate? I’m facing Ze Mario Sperry at ADCC 2015. I don’t have a better example than that,” Ricardo Liborio told MMAFighting.com.
“We have Robbie Lawler, Tyron Woodley, Hector Lombard, Thiago Alves, Ben Saunders, Colby Covington. We have a lot of great talents at 170. What can we tell them? There’s only one belt and they understand it.”
Three of the top six UFC welterweights train at American Top Team, and Liborio knows that their paths will eventually cross one day.
“If they have to fight, they have to fight. We can do different camps for both. We wouldn’t like to see it happening, but they eventually will have to fight. At the end of the day, it’s an individual sport,” he said.
“We’ve talk about this for a long time. They understand it, but I won’t be in anyone’s corner. Tyron and Hector, I train them both. Don’t ask me for advice, anything. I’m out. Whoever wins, ATT wins.
“Tyron fighting Hector would be easier because Tyron sometimes trains in his own gym, so we could find a way to support them both,” he added. “But I would never get involved in this. I would be watching it at home.”
Robbie Lawler will challenge UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks a UFC 181 on Dec. 6, so ATT could have two of their 170-pounders facing each other for the UFC belt in the future.
“Two American Top Team fighters fighting for a title? It means we’re doing something right here,” Liborio said. “It’s an individual sport and everybody wants the same thing.”
Lawler fought Hendricks to a close decision at UFC 171, but earned another shot at the gold after back-to-back wins over Jake Ellenberger and Matt Brown. This time, Liborio is confident that his protégé will walk with the title.
“Robbie has all the tools to win,” he said. “I believe Hendricks will change his strategy this time, will try some takedowns to work on top. We’re changing a few things in Robbie’s wrestling and jiu-jitsu training to get him ready.
“It’s Robbie’s time,” he continued. “I will always believe in my fighters, but he’s really prepared to get this done. There are a lot of guys from his Miletich days who became champions, and this is his time. He fit pretty well in the American Top Team and that helped him a lot.”
Joe Warren unified the Bellator bantamweight championship with a unanimous decision victory over Eduardo Dantas in the main event of Bellator 128 on Oct. 10, and another Brazilian could be next for “The Baddest Man on The Planet.”
Patricio Freire, the current Bellator featherweight champion, suffered his first professional loss to Warren at Bellator 23 in 2010, and he wants to “clean” his record. After avenging the other loss of his record against Pat Curran, “Pitbull” is willing to drop to 135 pounds to face Warren.
“I sent Scott Coker and Rich Chou an e-mail, but they haven’t answered me yet. I sent Warren a few messages on Twitter, and he hasn’t spoke. I want this fight,” Freire told MMAFighting.com.
“Joe Warren was my first loss, and it was a controversial one. I beat him a lot, knocked him down and slept (him) for a second, but the referee didn’t stop the fight and he won via split decision. I don’t think I lost that fight, many people think I won that fight.
“He won the title right after and ended up moving down to 135 after a few losses. He’s a world champion now, and our history hasn’t changed. I’m sure I will knock him out in the first round.”
Avenging a loss is Freire’s main goal in this fight, but he also wants to become the first man to hold two Bellator titles at the same time.
“The main reason is avenging that loss and cleaning my record, but both things motivate me. Having the chance to make history like Dan Henderson, and winning two titles at the same time in a big organization, would be huge for my career,” he said. “It’s time. I’m the featherweight champion and people still doubt me, so I want bigger challenges.”
“Pitbull” never had any trouble making 145 pounds during his MMA career, and he’s confident that cutting an extra 10 pounds wouldn’t be an issue.
“I made 145 pounds for my last fight without entering a sauna,” he said. “My natural weight is 158 pounds now, and I can make 135 pounds easily with a good diet. I’ll be strong on fight night.”
Freire vs. Warren could be the first fight between current Bellator champions in the history of the promotion.
“If Bellator doesn’t book this fight, it’s because they don’t want a Brazilian to hold two titles at the same time,” Freire said. “But (this fight) would be great for Bellator, and it would be even better for me. I want to beat this guy up, he talked too much crap. He’s actually a nice guy backstage, treats me well, but a fight is a fight.”
Joe Warren unified the Bellator bantamweight championship with a unanimous decision victory over Eduardo Dantas in the main event of Bellator 128 on Oct. 10, and another Brazilian could be next for “The Baddest Man on The Planet.”
Patricio Freire, the current Bellator featherweight champion, suffered his first professional loss to Warren at Bellator 23 in 2010, and he wants to “clean” his record. After avenging the other loss of his record against Pat Curran, “Pitbull” is willing to drop to 135 pounds to face Warren.
“I sent Scott Coker and Rich Chou an e-mail, but they haven’t answered me yet. I sent Warren a few messages on Twitter, and he hasn’t spoke. I want this fight,” Freire told MMAFighting.com.
“Joe Warren was my first loss, and it was a controversial one. I beat him a lot, knocked him down and slept (him) for a second, but the referee didn’t stop the fight and he won via split decision. I don’t think I lost that fight, many people think I won that fight.
“He won the title right after and ended up moving down to 135 after a few losses. He’s a world champion now, and our history hasn’t changed. I’m sure I will knock him out in the first round.”
Avenging a loss is Freire’s main goal in this fight, but he also wants to become the first man to hold two Bellator titles at the same time.
“The main reason is avenging that loss and cleaning my record, but both things motivate me. Having the chance to make history like Dan Henderson, and winning two titles at the same time in a big organization, would be huge for my career,” he said. “It’s time. I’m the featherweight champion and people still doubt me, so I want bigger challenges.”
“Pitbull” never had any trouble making 145 pounds during his MMA career, and he’s confident that cutting an extra 10 pounds wouldn’t be an issue.
“I made 145 pounds for my last fight without entering a sauna,” he said. “My natural weight is 158 pounds now, and I can make 135 pounds easily with a good diet. I’ll be strong on fight night.”
Freire vs. Warren could be the first fight between current Bellator champions in the history of the promotion.
“If Bellator doesn’t book this fight, it’s because they don’t want a Brazilian to hold two titles at the same time,” Freire said. “But (this fight) would be great for Bellator, and it would be even better for me. I want to beat this guy up, he talked too much crap. He’s actually a nice guy backstage, treats me well, but a fight is a fight.”
World Series of Fighting moved its 15th edition from Oct. 24 to Nov. 15, going head-to-head with a pair of stacked cards in UFC 180 and Bellator 131, but WSOF officials aren’t afraid of some competition.
“I think competition is really good between Bellator and UFC and WSOF,” WSOF executive vice president Ali Abdel-Aziz told MMAFighting.com. “I like the UFC and I like Scott Coker, they’re great guys, but I think WSOF always put on exciting fights.”
“Very intriguing match-ups, especially Melvin Guillard and Justin Gaethje,” Abdel-Aziz said. “I’m very, very looking forward to it. And I’m looking forward to see the new David Branch. David Branch has killer instinct, and he’s fighting a guy, Okami, who is a future legend.”
However, Abdel-Aziz guarantees they didn’t move the card to compete with the UFC and Bellator.
“The UFC has a show every week. It’s very difficult to go around. We can’t switch dates back and forth,” he said. “NBC is a great partner and they trust us. They changed TV schedule for us. I think we have put enough cards to compete with Bellator and the UFC. I really believe that. I think we have an amazing card, and I’m looking forward to it.”
On Dec. 13, World Series of Fighting will go head-to-head with the UFC once again.
“December 13, we have Palhares and Fitch, and Sheymon Moraes vs. Josh Hill for the number one contender. In November, we have three title fights. If I’m a MMA fan, I would DVR the UFC and Bellator, and I would watch WSOF,” he said.
“I feel very confident. Dos Santos, a Brazilian, against Stipe Miocic. But if you talk about Palhares… He’s been in the UFC, he’s very big, and he’s fighting Jon Fitch. I think that is a very big fight for Brazilian fans and American fans.
“I think Fitch vs. Palhares is just as big as any fight you can put out there. There will be other cards that night, but I feel very confident that people will watch Fitch and Palhares, 100-percent.”
World Series of Fighting moved its 15th edition from Oct. 24 to Nov. 15, going head-to-head with a pair of stacked cards in UFC 180 and Bellator 131, but WSOF officials aren’t afraid of some competition.
“I think competition is really good between Bellator and UFC and WSOF,” WSOF executive vice president Ali Abdel-Aziz told MMAFighting.com. “I like the UFC and I like Scott Coker, they’re great guys, but I think WSOF always put on exciting fights.”
“Very intriguing match-ups, especially Melvin Guillard and Justin Gaethje,” Abdel-Aziz said. “I’m very, very looking forward to it. And I’m looking forward to see the new David Branch. David Branch has killer instinct, and he’s fighting a guy, Okami, who is a future legend.”
However, Abdel-Aziz guarantees they didn’t move the card to compete with the UFC and Bellator.
“The UFC has a show every week. It’s very difficult to go around. We can’t switch dates back and forth,” he said. “NBC is a great partner and they trust us. They changed TV schedule for us. I think we have put enough cards to compete with Bellator and the UFC. I really believe that. I think we have an amazing card, and I’m looking forward to it.”
On Dec. 13, World Series of Fighting will go head-to-head with the UFC once again.
“December 13, we have Palhares and Fitch, and Sheymon Moraes vs. Josh Hill for the number one contender. In November, we have three title fights. If I’m a MMA fan, I would DVR the UFC and Bellator, and I would watch WSOF,” he said.
“I feel very confident. Dos Santos, a Brazilian, against Stipe Miocic. But if you talk about Palhares… He’s been in the UFC, he’s very big, and he’s fighting Jon Fitch. I think that is a very big fight for Brazilian fans and American fans.
“I think Fitch vs. Palhares is just as big as any fight you can put out there. There will be other cards that night, but I feel very confident that people will watch Fitch and Palhares, 100-percent.”
John Lineker stopped Alptekin Ozkilic in a thrilling flyweight bout in July, and he hopes to impress once against Ian McCall at UFC Fight Night 56 card in Brazil, on Nov. 8, to earn a shot at the UFC 125-pound championship.
With five wins over the past six UFC fights, Lineker wants to make a statement against McCall, currently ranked No. 3 in the UFC flyweight division, in Uberlandia, Brazil.
“I believe he’ll fight to win by decision, punching and leaving, exactly like his last fight. But I have a strategy in case he tries to do that boring game,” Lineker told MMAFighting.com. “My strategy will work, and I will win this fight.”
McCall called Lineker “fat boy” when the bout was announced, and the Brazilian plans to respond to that inside the Octagon.
“He called me fat boy [laughs], but I will show him how fast I am. When my hand lands on him, another knockout is coming,” he said. “I only need to land one hard punch he can feel it. I have the heaviest hands in the flyweight division, so I expect a knockout.”
Lineker, who finished his opponent via TKO in four of his five wins under the UFC banner, expects to earn a shot at flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson after UFC Fight Night 56.
“I’ve proved in my fights that I’m ready to fight the champion,” he said, “and I hope this fight (against McCall) is enough to get me a shot at the title.”
With a history of weight-cutting issues, fighting for a UFC title could be risky. However, the Brazilian guarantees his issues are in the past.
“Everything is fine,” Lineker said. “I know my body better now, I know what the issue was with my weight cut. I won’t have any problems anymore, and I want a title fight next.”
Johnson recently defended the UFC flyweight title with a second-round submission over Chris Cariaso, though “Hands of Stone” doesn’t feel “Mighty Mouse” was challenged at UFC 178.
“It was a one-man fight, actually,” Lineker said. “The champion came to prove why he’s the champion. His game plan was excellent, and we couldn’t see more because there was only one guy fighting.”
“When I get in there to fight for the title, it’s going to be a war,” he continued. “I have all the weapons to win this, and I will catch him. That’s what I’m going to do. McCall is only one more step before I get this title. I will use all my weapons and beat him.”
John Lineker stopped Alptekin Ozkilic in a thrilling flyweight bout in July, and he hopes to impress once against Ian McCall at UFC Fight Night 56 card in Brazil, on Nov. 8, to earn a shot at the UFC 125-pound championship.
With five wins over the past six UFC fights, Lineker wants to make a statement against McCall, currently ranked No. 3 in the UFC flyweight division, in Uberlandia, Brazil.
“I believe he’ll fight to win by decision, punching and leaving, exactly like his last fight. But I have a strategy in case he tries to do that boring game,” Lineker told MMAFighting.com. “My strategy will work, and I will win this fight.”
McCall called Lineker “fat boy” when the bout was announced, and the Brazilian plans to respond to that inside the Octagon.
“He called me fat boy [laughs], but I will show him how fast I am. When my hand lands on him, another knockout is coming,” he said. “I only need to land one hard punch he can feel it. I have the heaviest hands in the flyweight division, so I expect a knockout.”
Lineker, who finished his opponent via TKO in four of his five wins under the UFC banner, expects to earn a shot at flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson after UFC Fight Night 56.
“I’ve proved in my fights that I’m ready to fight the champion,” he said, “and I hope this fight (against McCall) is enough to get me a shot at the title.”
With a history of weight-cutting issues, fighting for a UFC title could be risky. However, the Brazilian guarantees his issues are in the past.
“Everything is fine,” Lineker said. “I know my body better now, I know what the issue was with my weight cut. I won’t have any problems anymore, and I want a title fight next.”
Johnson recently defended the UFC flyweight title with a second-round submission over Chris Cariaso, though “Hands of Stone” doesn’t feel “Mighty Mouse” was challenged at UFC 178.
“It was a one-man fight, actually,” Lineker said. “The champion came to prove why he’s the champion. His game plan was excellent, and we couldn’t see more because there was only one guy fighting.”
“When I get in there to fight for the title, it’s going to be a war,” he continued. “I have all the weapons to win this, and I will catch him. That’s what I’m going to do. McCall is only one more step before I get this title. I will use all my weapons and beat him.”
Piotr Hallmann tested positive for drostanolone following his split decision loss to Gleison Tibau in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 51 on Sept. 13 in Brasilia, Brazil, but he wants to appeal the result.
Hallmann, who dropped to 2-2 under the UFC banner with the decision loss, claims he’s innocent, and blames the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA) for the positive result.
“I’m very angry that something like this came up, especially the way they handled the whole testing in Brazil was far from being professional,” Hallmann told Bloody Elbow. “It was clear that the procedure was unreliable and strange to say the least and this should be a big concern for fighters and the UFC.”
“Right after my fight when I walked back to my dressing room a very loud person who couldn’t identify himself was shooting: ‘Doping! Doping!’ and speaking in broken English,” he continued. “My coaches tried to figure out what the man wanted and finally it was clear that I needed to be escorted to a room where I was being tested, so like always I complied and gave my blood.
“At that moment I was badly injured and was waiting for transportation to the hospital. All of a sudden one of the people that tested me at the event drove all the way to the hospital telling us that something went wrong with the testing but at that time I was in extreme pain as the medical team was treating my broken jaw.
“The man understood and saw that it wasn’t the best moment to do a second test as I was being injected with some painkillers. So the man apologized for the mistake and just left. During that moment I didn’t make anything out of this strange situation as I know I’m a clean fighter who always have been professional with my career and never used any steroids or banned substance for that matter.”
If Hallmann blames the CABMMA post-fight testing process for his failed test, he might not have a case.
Cristiano Sampaio, the COO of the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA), told MMAFighting.com that Hallmann failed his pre-fight urine test, not in the post-fight blood test.
“Every athlete who competes under the regulation of any commission, in Brazil or in the United States, is aware that they will undergo a urine drug test. He underwent the same process in his previous fight in Brazil,” Sampaio said.
“We test every fighter on the card when they arrive at the arena on fight day. After the fight, we randomly choose four fighters, or pick four fighters, to do post-fight blood tests. For this event, we picked the main and co-main event fighters to test for HGH and testosterone. In Piotr’s case, he tested positive (for drostanolone) in his pre-fight urine test.”
According to Sampaio, urine and blood samples were tested at the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory, the world’s largest World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited sports drug-testing facility, and conducted by a doping control officer (DOO) credentialed by WADA and Brazilian Agency of Doping Control (ABCD).
Hallmann’s urine sample was tested twice, and he failed both tests.
In his interview to Bloody Elbow, Hallmann claimed “that mistakes have been made by the (Brazilian) commission which they even admitted,” but Sampaio doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
“He said we admitted to committing mistakes, but we never did that,” Sampaio said. “I’m the person who contacts fighters and managers, and I never said that.”
Hallmann plans to appeal the failed test, saying that his career is “in serious danger and my name has been tainted” and “the whole testing procedure is unreliable and this could be a serious matter for future events that will be held in Brazil.”
“He has the right to appeal,” Sampaio responded. “If he wants to appeal the result, I will send the request to the UCLA Olympic Lab and they will test the second urine sample. If he’s talking about our collecting procedures, I’ll ask ABCD to send him a report of the whole procedure. But if he’s questioning our integrity and responsibility as a regulation body in Brazil, we will have a response for him. I hope that’s not the case.”
Piotr Hallmann tested positive for drostanolone following his split decision loss to Gleison Tibau in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 51 on Sept. 13 in Brasilia, Brazil, but he wants to appeal the result.
Hallmann, who dropped to 2-2 under the UFC banner with the decision loss, claims he’s innocent, and blames the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA) for the positive result.
“I’m very angry that something like this came up, especially the way they handled the whole testing in Brazil was far from being professional,” Hallmann told Bloody Elbow. “It was clear that the procedure was unreliable and strange to say the least and this should be a big concern for fighters and the UFC.”
“Right after my fight when I walked back to my dressing room a very loud person who couldn’t identify himself was shooting: ‘Doping! Doping!’ and speaking in broken English,” he continued. “My coaches tried to figure out what the man wanted and finally it was clear that I needed to be escorted to a room where I was being tested, so like always I complied and gave my blood.
“At that moment I was badly injured and was waiting for transportation to the hospital. All of a sudden one of the people that tested me at the event drove all the way to the hospital telling us that something went wrong with the testing but at that time I was in extreme pain as the medical team was treating my broken jaw.
“The man understood and saw that it wasn’t the best moment to do a second test as I was being injected with some painkillers. So the man apologized for the mistake and just left. During that moment I didn’t make anything out of this strange situation as I know I’m a clean fighter who always have been professional with my career and never used any steroids or banned substance for that matter.”
If Hallmann blames the CABMMA post-fight testing process for his failed test, he might not have a case.
Cristiano Sampaio, the COO of the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA), told MMAFighting.com that Hallmann failed his pre-fight urine test, not in the post-fight blood test.
“Every athlete who competes under the regulation of any commission, in Brazil or in the United States, is aware that they will undergo a urine drug test. He underwent the same process in his previous fight in Brazil,” Sampaio said.
“We test every fighter on the card when they arrive at the arena on fight day. After the fight, we randomly choose four fighters, or pick four fighters, to do post-fight blood tests. For this event, we picked the main and co-main event fighters to test for HGH and testosterone. In Piotr’s case, he tested positive (for drostanolone) in his pre-fight urine test.”
According to Sampaio, urine and blood samples were tested at the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory, the world’s largest World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited sports drug-testing facility, and conducted by a doping control officer (DOO) credentialed by WADA and Brazilian Agency of Doping Control (ABCD).
Hallmann’s urine sample was tested twice, and he failed both tests.
In his interview to Bloody Elbow, Hallmann claimed “that mistakes have been made by the (Brazilian) commission which they even admitted,” but Sampaio doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
“He said we admitted to committing mistakes, but we never did that,” Sampaio said. “I’m the person who contacts fighters and managers, and I never said that.”
Hallmann plans to appeal the failed test, saying that his career is “in serious danger and my name has been tainted” and “the whole testing procedure is unreliable and this could be a serious matter for future events that will be held in Brazil.”
“He has the right to appeal,” Sampaio responded. “If he wants to appeal the result, I will send the request to the UCLA Olympic Lab and they will test the second urine sample. If he’s talking about our collecting procedures, I’ll ask ABCD to send him a report of the whole procedure. But if he’s questioning our integrity and responsibility as a regulation body in Brazil, we will have a response for him. I hope that’s not the case.”
Vitor Belfort will be on one of the longest layoffs of his MMA career when he steps in the Octagon against Chris Weidman in 2015, and he’s confident that it won’t be an issue at all.
“The Phenom,” who improved to 24-10 in MMA with consecutive knockout victories over Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson in 2013, will challenge the “All American” for the 185-pound title after zero fights in 2014.
“The fact that I haven’t fought in 2014 will only make my opponents surprised with my performance,” Belfort told MMAFighting.com. “I had time to adapt myself and evolve even more. Despite not having fought, I worked hard at Blackzilians and spent this whole time getting ready to win my third world title in a different weight class in the UFC.”
Initially slated to meet Weidman on May 24, Belfort was forced out of the bout after testing positive in a random drug test in February. The Brazilian was granted a license by the Nevada Athletic Commission and again set to fight the UFC champion on Dec. 6, but this time Weidman was the one to pull out with a broken hand.
“The year of 2014 was really full of postponements and twists, but I’m positive that those adversities will only make me stronger and ready for the next challenges,” he said. “I was expecting to fight and win the title, but I believe that everything happens for a reason. My training routine is intense, it’s part of my lifestyle. I will continue focused on reinventing myself and getting stronger every day, waiting for the fight.”
This will be the second time that Belfort won’t fight even once in a calendar year. Belfort, who also entered a middleweight title bout against Anderson Silva more than a year after his previous bout, believes that hard training will be enough to overcome the long layoff.
“I will continue to train. The month before the fight is when the heavier training happens, and since they postponed the fight, this intense training will happen in January. Until then, I will continue my normal routine that is really disciplined and focused on my goals,” he said. “I have 18 years of a professional career and my preparation doesn’t depend on a fight schedule.”
Belfort says “everybody loses” with Weidman’s hand injury, and insists that the UFC should create an interim title.
“Dana White confirmed that my opponent will have to wear a cast for four weeks, and will be cleared (to train) in six. I have to respect the decision that was made. Unfortunately, injuries are part of the routine of professional athletes,” he said.
“In this type of situation, everybody loses – the fans, who want to see an incredible fight, the other athlete, who trains hard for a fight, the promoters and sponsors, who want to make it all happen.
“The belt must be available to be conquered by the best fighter. I’m in favor of creating an interim title for cases like this, when the champion gets injured more than once, especially in back-to-back injuries, preventing title fights to happen.”
In a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Weidman said Belfort’s request “doesn’t make any sense.”
“This is a guy who, I just fought in July,” Weidman said. “It doesn’t make any sense, it’s not like I’ve been out for a year. This guy hasn’t fought since November. And I was actually, we were supposed to fight. We were lined up to fight in July. And he had to pull out of the fight. And you know why he had to pull out of the fight? He failed a drug test. So this guy is failing drug tests and he has the audacity, he has the balls to start talking junk? About me not fighting. He hasn’t fought since November. So what if he gets the belt? So what happens with that? He just makes no sense. That’s the bottom line.”
Joining the middleweight title picture after impressive performances, former Strikeforce 185-pound champion Ronaldo Souza is not a believer that Belfort will step up and challenge Weidman in February, and that’s why “Jacare” is training to eventually replace him against the “All American.”
“The only thing that matters is my confidence and will to win,” Belfort said of Souza’s manager’s comments. “I don’t worry at all about other people’s opinions or thoughts.”
Vitor Belfort will be on one of the longest layoffs of his MMA career when he steps in the Octagon against Chris Weidman in 2015, and he’s confident that it won’t be an issue at all.
“The Phenom,” who improved to 24-10 in MMA with consecutive knockout victories over Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson in 2013, will challenge the “All American” for the 185-pound title after zero fights in 2014.
“The fact that I haven’t fought in 2014 will only make my opponents surprised with my performance,” Belfort told MMAFighting.com. “I had time to adapt myself and evolve even more. Despite not having fought, I worked hard at Blackzilians and spent this whole time getting ready to win my third world title in a different weight class in the UFC.”
Initially slated to meet Weidman on May 24, Belfort was forced out of the bout after testing positive in a random drug test in February. The Brazilian was granted a license by the Nevada Athletic Commission and again set to fight the UFC champion on Dec. 6, but this time Weidman was the one to pull out with a broken hand.
“The year of 2014 was really full of postponements and twists, but I’m positive that those adversities will only make me stronger and ready for the next challenges,” he said. “I was expecting to fight and win the title, but I believe that everything happens for a reason. My training routine is intense, it’s part of my lifestyle. I will continue focused on reinventing myself and getting stronger every day, waiting for the fight.”
This will be the second time that Belfort won’t fight even once in a calendar year. Belfort, who also entered a middleweight title bout against Anderson Silva more than a year after his previous bout, believes that hard training will be enough to overcome the long layoff.
“I will continue to train. The month before the fight is when the heavier training happens, and since they postponed the fight, this intense training will happen in January. Until then, I will continue my normal routine that is really disciplined and focused on my goals,” he said. “I have 18 years of a professional career and my preparation doesn’t depend on a fight schedule.”
Belfort says “everybody loses” with Weidman’s hand injury, and insists that the UFC should create an interim title.
“Dana White confirmed that my opponent will have to wear a cast for four weeks, and will be cleared (to train) in six. I have to respect the decision that was made. Unfortunately, injuries are part of the routine of professional athletes,” he said.
“In this type of situation, everybody loses – the fans, who want to see an incredible fight, the other athlete, who trains hard for a fight, the promoters and sponsors, who want to make it all happen.
“The belt must be available to be conquered by the best fighter. I’m in favor of creating an interim title for cases like this, when the champion gets injured more than once, especially in back-to-back injuries, preventing title fights to happen.”
In a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Weidman said Belfort’s request “doesn’t make any sense.”
“This is a guy who, I just fought in July,” Weidman said. “It doesn’t make any sense, it’s not like I’ve been out for a year. This guy hasn’t fought since November. And I was actually, we were supposed to fight. We were lined up to fight in July. And he had to pull out of the fight. And you know why he had to pull out of the fight? He failed a drug test. So this guy is failing drug tests and he has the audacity, he has the balls to start talking junk? About me not fighting. He hasn’t fought since November. So what if he gets the belt? So what happens with that? He just makes no sense. That’s the bottom line.”
Joining the middleweight title picture after impressive performances, former Strikeforce 185-pound champion Ronaldo Souza is not a believer that Belfort will step up and challenge Weidman in February, and that’s why “Jacare” is training to eventually replace him against the “All American.”
“The only thing that matters is my confidence and will to win,” Belfort said of Souza’s manager’s comments. “I don’t worry at all about other people’s opinions or thoughts.”
