LAS VEGAS — Chris Weidman has heard just about enough about Vitor Belfort for now.
Weidman was originally scheduled to defend his UFC middleweight title against the controversial Brazilian, but is instead fighting Lyoto Machida at UFC 175 because Belfort pulled out after a series of events following an out-of-competition drug test in Nevada.
So after all the bedlam caused by Belfort’s fight withdrawal, Weidman doesn’t want to talk about the eccentric former light heavyweight champ anymore.
“I’m fighting Lyoto Machida,” Weidman said at Friday’s UFC 175 press conference. “Forget Vitor.”
Weidman, though, is also looking on the bright side. By focusing on a competitor of Machida’s caliber, he finally has a chance to move on past his pair of 2013 fights with Anderson Silva.
“Even [though] the second fight, it didn’t end the way I wanted ,I felt like I dominated both fights and I knew I’m the better fighter,” Weidman said. “So I’m glad to move on and put that behind me and I’m excited to fight Lyoto Machida. He’s a tricky guy.”