Perennial UFC middleweight contender Michael Bisping has never been a fan of testosterone replacement therapy, but his personal opinion has created a serious grudge against Vitor Belfort.
In light of the Nevada State Athletic Commission banning the controversial treatment on Thursday, the Brazilian slugger has been feeling the heat for withdrawing (or not?) from his title fight against Chris Weidman and refusing to disclose his drug test results from earlier this month, per MMA Fighting.
Specifically, Belfort’s lawyer, Neal Tabachnick, told various media outlets the results were “not relevant” since his client was no longer applying for a fighter’s license in Nevada, per MMA Weekly.
“The Count” doesn’t believe that excuse is good enough, and that’s putting it nicely.
@arielhelwani how the hell is it not relevant. If I was tested and it was clean, I’d tell you. He failed, cheating scumbag, hypocrite.
— michael (@bisping) February 28, 2014
Bisping fought Belfort at UFC on FX 7 last January, arguably winning the first round before getting knocked out by a headkick and subsequent punches on the ground.
While the English striker is 0-3 in title eliminator bouts since July 2009, it is worth noting that all those losses came to fighters who were using TRT: Dan Henderson, Chael Sonnen and Belfort.
Coincidentally, Bisping celebrated his 35th birthday on Friday and couldn’t help taking another crack at Belfort when provoked by MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani.
@arielhelwani 5 rounds of sparring, done,$200 gr8 lunch with the misses, $120, vitor failing a drug test…… Priceless. Happy birthday!😃✔️
— michael (@bisping) February 28, 2014
Bisping is 2-2 in his past four fights and is scheduled to return to action when he squares off with American rival Tim Kennedy at The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale on April 16.
While a victory over the former Strikeforce contender would only be two wins in a row for the Manchester native, Bisping believes that should be enough to earn a title shot.
So TRT is now officially banned in Nevada. U could argue I only have one loss on my record. After I beat Kennedy I want my shot at the title
— michael (@bisping) February 27, 2014
While he doesn’t state it outright, Bisping appears to be referencing a controversial split-decision loss to Rashad Evans in a light heavyweight encounter back at UFC 78 in November 2007.
Therefore, he seems to be going with the theory that his unanimous-decision loss to Wanderlei Silva back at UFC 110 in February 2010 is the only “real” loss on his ledger.
Is Bisping’s reaction to Belfort and the recent TRT ban a reasonable one, or is it more so wishful thinking on his part?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
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