UFC middleweight contender Vitor Belfort was anxiously awaiting the result of UFC 162, calling for the winner of Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman long before the fight went down.
“The Phenom” undoubtedly had to be elated to see Weidman pull off the upset, being that Silva already convincingly beat Belfort at UFC 126 in February 2011.
As a matter of fact, UFC President Dana White said Belfort texted him 172 times following Weidman‘s knockout insisting that he should be the next in line for a crack at the middleweight strap.
Belfort continued to plead his case for a title shot in an appearance on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour.
I guess sometimes you have to ask. So I’m asking. I did everything and now I’m asking. I’m asking for what I deserve. It’s not what I want, it’s what I deserve. And I deserve that. Everybody knows my history in the sport. I’m the T-Rex in this jungle, and I’m so mature; I’m so strong mentally, physically, spiritually, and also my skills, I’ve developed so much. I know that goal is about to be accomplished.
Should Silva stick to his word and decide not to square off with Weidman a second time, it is hard to argue that Belfort is the most credible challenger for “The All-American.”
Since his loss to Silva, the hard-hitting Brazilian has went 4-0 at 185-pounds, including back-to-back headkick knockouts over Michael Bisping and former Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold.
Belfort also mentioned that he has always been a company man for the UFC, citing his short notice fight with light heavyweight titleholder Jon Jones at UFC 152 in September as the latest example.
As expected, Belfort is no Silva fan and slammed the former middleweight kingpin for the arrogance he displayed in his fight with Weidman.
The first thing you learn (in martial arts) is respect. Your opponent across the other side of the mat, the Octagon, he is the most important person in that moment for you, because that’s the person who makes you compete, who gives you the pleasure to entertain people. But I see martial arts not just from an entertainment side. I see it as a sport. And as a sport, like in NBA, NFL, we have a code of conduct. And that’s something that the UFC, we need to start having that. I think [Silva] really didn’t have any conduct on this fight. He acted inappropriately and it wasn’t the first time, so I hope this will be the last time that he does.
Belfort, who currently trains with the Blackzilians camp in Florida, made a bold claim that if he fought Weidman it would be “more sellable” than Weidman vs. Silva II.
Furthermore, the nearly 17-year fight veteran argues that waiting for Silva to decide if he wants redemption against his Long Island counterpart will take months.
Conversely, Belfort says he is ready to sign the contract for a title fight with Weidman as early as next week.
Does Belfort bring up several legitimate points here or are all his arguments moot anyway, based on the fact that Weidman-Silva II is inevitable?
John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com and contributes MMA videos to The Young Turks Sports Show.
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