Former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold still isn’t over his brutal first-round loss against Vitor Belfort one year ago, going as far as to accuse “The Phenom” of being a career-long user of performance-enhancing drugs.
In an interview with Fight Now TV, the American Kickboxing Academy product absolutely torched Belfort when asked if he believed testosterone replacement therapy played a role in their matchup at UFC on FX 8 (transcription per Fighters Only):
I don’t believe anything the guy says and I don’t believe he’s clean. I think he’s been dirty his whole career. I’m going to go out there and say that. Whatever. I’m going to be myself. I’m tired of holding back. I’m going to be real. The real MMA fans know what’s going on and if you believe he’s clean, or anything that comes out of his mouth, I kind of feel sorry for the people that do. I don’t have a lot of respect for the guy.
Rockhold also noted that his comments aren’t personal, he just “likes a clean sport” and “I don’t have a lot of respect for cheaters.”
The 29-year-old posted a perfect 9-0 record under the Strikeforce banner and has rebounded from the Belfort loss with quick finishes of Costas Philippou and Tim Boetsch.
Meanwhile, the Brazilian slugger followed up his spectacular headkick knockout of Rockhold by becoming the first fighter to knock out Dan Henderson in a light heavyweight contest back in November.
The Blackzilian team member tested positive for the anabolic steroid 4-hydroxytestosterone after a decision loss to “Hendo” back in October 2006 under the PRIDE banner, per MMA Weekly.
In recent memory, Belfort has undergone a lot of public scrutiny for being a TRT user who hasn’t fought on American soil since August 2011.
Since that point, the 37-year-old has posted a 4-1 mark inside the Octagon, with his sole loss being a short-notice light heavyweight title bout against Jon Jones.
Belfort was expected to face middleweight champion Chris Weidman at UFC 173, which took place on Saturday, but was replaced by Lyoto Machida in the immediate aftermath of the Nevada State Athletic Commission banning TRT, per FOX Sports.
While Weidman vs. Machida has since been postponed until UFC 175, Belfort insists he is ready to get his fighter’s license from the NSAC at a moment’s notice since he has been drug testing himself, per MMA Fighting.
Given the current landscape of the UFC’s middleweight division, would a rematch between Belfort and Rockhold make sense for the promotion’s fall schedule?
John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com
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