Vitor Belfort has worked with striking coach Shawn Tompkins since mid-2008, when Belfort first walked into the gym of longtime rival Randy Couture in hopes of training with him.
The union between coach and fighter has been productive. Belfort earned three knockouts in three fights while under Tompkins’ watch. But with Belfort in the midst of preparation for the biggest match of his career — a UFC 126 title shot against champ Anderson Silva — the partnership is apparently over.