RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Vitor Belfort demolished Dan Henderson at UFC Fight Night 32, and you can’t say he beat the Pride legend because of his testosterone replacement therapy (TRT).
Belfort vs. Henderson was the first UFC bout featuring two fighters on TRT, and Belfort needed only 77 seconds to become the first fighter to ever finish Henderson with strikes.
Days after the bout, the Brazilian revealed that his testosterone levels were above the normal for the fight.
“My (testosterone) levels were low in my last fight,” Belfort told MMAFighting.com during a media scrum in his gym in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “I have all the exams to prove that I have a disease. It’s simple.”
Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission’s medical director Dr. Marcio Tannure explained to MMAFighting.com that one of Belfort’s pre-fight tests were below the normal limits, but that’s “legal.”
In a recent interview with UOL, Belfort revealed that he started his testosterone therapy three years ago, and that would mean he started doing TRT before his title fight with Anderson Silva at UFC 126 in Las Vegas, Nev.
“When was that fight? I don’t remember when I started my treatment, actually,” he said. “But I believe it was around that time.”
“The Phenom” is confident that he would get licensed and granted a TUE for TRT in case UFC wants to match him against the winner of Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva in Las Vegas, where he hasn’t fought since.
“Chael Sonnen has a license to fight in Vegas, and I’m doing everything by the book,” Belfort said. “I have all the exams to prove it.”