(“Expect punches to the back of the head, every fight bro.”)
Tatame caught up with Vitor Belfort following his impressive victory over Yoshihiro Akiyama Saturday night at UFC 133 and the former UFC light heavyweight champion said he isn’t letting Dana White’s statement that he needs to “chew on” his loss to Anderson Silva for a while deter him from keeping his eye on the middleweight belt.
He says that his number one goal is to get another shot at Silva, or whomever holds the belt at the time, so he can make up for his poor showing the last time he fought for the belt at UFC 126 in February.
“That’s my wish. I don’t know what they’ll decide. I don’t know what the fans want to see and since UFC guys will evaluate the situation, saying who deserves a title shot or not… I want to fight for the belt and I’ll run through everybody who stands in my way.That’s my goal.”
“The Phenom” said that he was happy with his win over “Sexyama” and that his patience in the fight and his advanced level of conditioning, which is a result of years of experience and the right mix of coaches, made the difference in the bout.
“When I’m fighting, I always want and outcome like this one, but it’s not always that things go according to our plan, but I always go for the KO and that’s my expectation every time I’m fighting,” he explains. “That’s the mature Phenom. If the time goes by and the guy doesn’t get more mature, it’s a waste of time. I’m more mature and I’ve changed some things in my trainings, like using the natural gym with my coach Alvinho (Alvaro Romano), I added many things from my past and some new things I’ve learned. We combined it all and brought a Vintage Belfort. With no doubts, I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in my entire career, I’m feeling like a 19 years old boy with the maturity of a 34 years old man.”
If he doesn’t get his wish of a title shot in his next appearance, Belfort says fans can expect him to go out and prove that he deserves a shot in the coming months.
“You can hope I’ll bring my A game, that’s the only thing I can promise my fans: I’ll give my best on my next goals towards a new chance at the belt.”