Tag: Interview

Wait, So Now Vitor Belfort *Doesn’t* Need Testosterone Replacement Therapy?


(Just to clarify, the dude on the left is two years *older* than the one on the right. Photo via Taringa.)

Of all the MMA fighters to hop aboard the TRT train in recent months, Vitor Belfort has far and away received the most shit for it from fans and pundits alike. Maybe it’s because he’s a Brazilian who’s been conveniently tucked away in Brazil for his past few fights, crushing hapless, pasty dudes with techniques straight out of a video game, or maybe it’s because he’s a former steroid user who has comically sidestepped around every question concerning TRT since undergoing the treatment. Your guess is as good as ours.

In any case, the one aspect of TRT that Belfort has remained steadfast in defending since his usage was made public was the idea that he *needed* it to compete with today’s younger fighters, who are practically overflowing with the stuff. “Basically what TRT is for me is to not be at a disadvantage,” Belfort has stated, “Low testosterone is something that can cause serious health problems and even death. You can have problems, big problems, if it’s untreated. So the treatment is for you to live longer and have a better life by having less health problems.”

OK, so Belfort basically needs TRT to survive, is what he’s saying –which, fine, we’ve heard that excuse before. But you’d think a statement like that would essentially condemn Belfort to TRT usage for the rest of his career (or life, really), because were he to suddenly stop using TRT, it would prove that he never really needed it in the first place, right?


(Just to clarify, the dude on the left is two years *older* than the one on the right. Photo via Taringa.)

Of all the MMA fighters to hop aboard the TRT train in recent months, Vitor Belfort has far and away received the most shit for it from fans and pundits alike. Maybe it’s because he’s a Brazilian who’s been conveniently tucked away in Brazil for his past few fights, crushing hapless, pasty dudes with techniques straight out of a video game, or maybe it’s because he’s a former steroid user who has comically sidestepped around every question concerning TRT since undergoing the treatment. Your guess is as good as ours.

In any case, the one aspect of TRT that Belfort has remained steadfast in defending since his usage was made public was the idea that he *needed* it to compete with today’s younger fighters, who are practically overflowing with the stuff. “Basically what TRT is for me is to not be at a disadvantage,” Belfort has stated, “Low testosterone is something that can cause serious health problems and even death. You can have problems, big problems, if it’s untreated. So the treatment is for you to live longer and have a better life by having less health problems.”

OK, so Belfort basically needs TRT to survive, is what he’s saying — which, fine, we’ve heard that excuse before. But you’d think a statement like that would essentially condemn Belfort to TRT usage for the rest of his career (or life, really), because were he to suddenly stop using TRT, it would prove that he never really needed it in the first place, right?

Belfort recently spoke with UOL ahead of his upcoming rematch with Dan Henderson, and well, we’ll just allow him to spell out the terms and conditions of his TRT usage for you (translation via MMAFighting):

Belfort wants to fight the winner of Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva, who meet at UFC 168, and he would accept to stop using TRT if that’s one of the conditions on him earning the shot at the gold.

“I’ve already said that, if they agree with it, I would (stop doing TRT),” he said. “No problem at all. If they want me to get there in a disadvantage, that’s ok.

“But they already told me that’s not the problem,” he continued. “UFC told me, ‘You can’t go in there with a disadvantage.’ The thing is, I’m in normal testosterone levels with TRT. That’s the treatment. People don’t seem to understand that I’m the only guy that does blood tests. Many fighters don’t do this, many use illegal stuff and are not tested like I am. I’m tested all the time. Week after week, month after month. I have to keep the levels normal to make it fair.”

I’m not going to try and act like an expert on TRT, but doesn’t this statement strike you as a little…off? I mean, here we have been led to believe that Belfort *needs* TRT to maintain normal testosterone levels, but suddenly when a title shot’s on the line, he’s willing to drop the treatment altogether and suffer, like he said, “a disadvantage?” In the biggest fight of his life? (Potentially) against a guy who did this to him in their first fight?! DOES ANY OF THIS MAKES SENSE?!!!

Perhaps even more troubling about this statement is that Belfort seems to be operating under the belief that the UFC wouldn’t give him another title shot unless he dropped TRT. While we all know The Baldfather’s newfound stance on TRT to be rather…blunt, one would imagine that he’d want the best possible Belfort fighting were he to grant him another title shot. Then again, maybe what Belfort means by “dropping TRT” for a title shot has to do with some higher, moral reasoning (LOL!). Maybe he believes he can win the actual title without TRT but he just needed a little boost along the way. Which, if that’s the case, just makes Belfort’s insistence on using TRT in the first place all the more shady.

I don’t know, you guys. All I’ve taken away from this statement is that at some point, Vitor Belfort made a huge withdrawal at the First Bank of Lies.

–J. Jones

Wait, So Now Vitor Belfort *Doesn’t* Need Testosterone Replacement Therapy?


(Just to clarify, the dude on the left is two years *older* than the one on the right. Photo via Taringa.)

Of all the MMA fighters to hop aboard the TRT train in recent months, Vitor Belfort has far and away received the most shit for it from fans and pundits alike. Maybe it’s because he’s a Brazilian who’s been conveniently tucked away in Brazil for his past few fights, crushing hapless, pasty dudes with techniques straight out of a video game, or maybe it’s because he’s a former steroid user who has comically sidestepped around every question concerning TRT since undergoing the treatment. Your guess is as good as ours.

In any case, the one aspect of TRT that Belfort has remained steadfast in defending since his usage was made public was the idea that he *needed* it to compete with today’s younger fighters, who are practically overflowing with the stuff. “Basically what TRT is for me is to not be at a disadvantage,” Belfort has stated, “Low testosterone is something that can cause serious health problems and even death. You can have problems, big problems, if it’s untreated. So the treatment is for you to live longer and have a better life by having less health problems.”

OK, so Belfort basically needs TRT to survive, is what he’s saying –which, fine, we’ve heard that excuse before. But you’d think a statement like that would essentially condemn Belfort to TRT usage for the rest of his career (or life, really), because were he to suddenly stop using TRT, it would prove that he never really needed it in the first place, right?


(Just to clarify, the dude on the left is two years *older* than the one on the right. Photo via Taringa.)

Of all the MMA fighters to hop aboard the TRT train in recent months, Vitor Belfort has far and away received the most shit for it from fans and pundits alike. Maybe it’s because he’s a Brazilian who’s been conveniently tucked away in Brazil for his past few fights, crushing hapless, pasty dudes with techniques straight out of a video game, or maybe it’s because he’s a former steroid user who has comically sidestepped around every question concerning TRT since undergoing the treatment. Your guess is as good as ours.

In any case, the one aspect of TRT that Belfort has remained steadfast in defending since his usage was made public was the idea that he *needed* it to compete with today’s younger fighters, who are practically overflowing with the stuff. “Basically what TRT is for me is to not be at a disadvantage,” Belfort has stated, “Low testosterone is something that can cause serious health problems and even death. You can have problems, big problems, if it’s untreated. So the treatment is for you to live longer and have a better life by having less health problems.”

OK, so Belfort basically needs TRT to survive, is what he’s saying — which, fine, we’ve heard that excuse before. But you’d think a statement like that would essentially condemn Belfort to TRT usage for the rest of his career (or life, really), because were he to suddenly stop using TRT, it would prove that he never really needed it in the first place, right?

Belfort recently spoke with UOL ahead of his upcoming rematch with Dan Henderson, and well, we’ll just allow him to spell out the terms and conditions of his TRT usage for you (translation via MMAFighting):

Belfort wants to fight the winner of Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva, who meet at UFC 168, and he would accept to stop using TRT if that’s one of the conditions on him earning the shot at the gold.

“I’ve already said that, if they agree with it, I would (stop doing TRT),” he said. “No problem at all. If they want me to get there in a disadvantage, that’s ok.

“But they already told me that’s not the problem,” he continued. “UFC told me, ‘You can’t go in there with a disadvantage.’ The thing is, I’m in normal testosterone levels with TRT. That’s the treatment. People don’t seem to understand that I’m the only guy that does blood tests. Many fighters don’t do this, many use illegal stuff and are not tested like I am. I’m tested all the time. Week after week, month after month. I have to keep the levels normal to make it fair.”

I’m not going to try and act like an expert on TRT, but doesn’t this statement strike you as a little…off? I mean, here we have been led to believe that Belfort *needs* TRT to maintain normal testosterone levels, but suddenly when a title shot’s on the line, he’s willing to drop the treatment altogether and suffer, like he said, “a disadvantage?” In the biggest fight of his life? (Potentially) against a guy who did this to him in their first fight?! DOES ANY OF THIS MAKES SENSE?!!!

Perhaps even more troubling about this statement is that Belfort seems to be operating under the belief that the UFC wouldn’t give him another title shot unless he dropped TRT. While we all know The Baldfather’s newfound stance on TRT to be rather…blunt, one would imagine that he’d want the best possible Belfort fighting were he to grant him another title shot. Then again, maybe what Belfort means by “dropping TRT” for a title shot has to do with some higher, moral reasoning (LOL!). Maybe he believes he can win the actual title without TRT but he just needed a little boost along the way. Which, if that’s the case, just makes Belfort’s insistence on using TRT in the first place all the more shady.

I don’t know, you guys. All I’ve taken away from this statement is that at some point, Vitor Belfort made a huge withdrawal at the First Bank of Lies.

–J. Jones

[EXCLUSIVE] Michael Chandler Doesn’t Mind Being Overlooked as Long as He’s Champion


(Photo via Bellator)

By Elias Cepeda

Throughout the UFC and Bellator’s highly-publicized bidding war over lightweight Eddie Alvarez, I couldn’t help but wonder what Michael Chandler felt about all this. There was Alvarez, hard sought-after and recognized as one of the best fighters not already in the UFC, and there was Chandler — the man who’d beaten him soundly in an incredible fight and took the Bellator title.

Chandler was the champion. Chandler had beaten Alvarez, yet his opponent was the one who had corporate giants fighting for him. I got a chance to speak with the Bellator lightweight champion as he heads into his rematch with Alvarez this Saturday at Bellator 106.

The 24-year-old fighter was philosophical as he looked back at being the overlooked champion. “Unfortunately it’s not a perfect world and fighters can’t just train and fight,” Chandler says of Alvarez’s legal battles.

“There’s all kinds of things that go around it. All that bickering…I try not to worry about all the outside stuff. People are going to say things and talk. You can read into things and they can affect you mentally. That’s no good for you at all. It’s never good to get caught up in all that. The reality and beauty of the situation is that we are professional athletes with a platform that people are going to hear and see. It’s good to be on a platform like that. It is something to keep me grounded and excited for November 2. I want to prove myself.”


(Photo via Bellator)

By Elias Cepeda

Throughout the UFC and Bellator’s highly-publicized bidding war over lightweight Eddie Alvarez, I couldn’t help but wonder what Michael Chandler felt about all this. There was Alvarez, hard sought-after and recognized as one of the best fighters not already in the UFC, and there was Chandler — the man who’d beaten him soundly in an incredible fight and took the Bellator title.

Chandler was the champion. Chandler had beaten Alvarez, yet his opponent was the one who had corporate giants fighting for him. I got a chance to speak with the Bellator lightweight champion as he heads into his rematch with Alvarez this Saturday at Bellator 106.

The 24-year-old fighter was philosophical as he looked back at being the overlooked champion. “Unfortunately it’s not a perfect world and fighters can’t just train and fight,” Chandler says of Alvarez’s legal battles.

“There’s all kinds of things that go around it. All that bickering…I try not to worry about all the outside stuff. People are going to say things and talk. You can read into things and they can affect you mentally. That’s no good for you at all. It’s never good to get caught up in all that. The reality and beauty of the situation is that we are professional athletes with a platform that people are going to hear and see. It’s good to be on a platform like that. It is something to keep me grounded and excited for November 2. I want to prove myself.”

Chandler cannot deny that it would be sweet to beat his more celebrated opponent once again. “Yeah, of course I’m excited,” he admits.

“He’s been in some contract disputes and there’s bad blood with the organization. People love to talk about that stuff. I just try to stay positive and train and fight and win. That isn’t always as exciting as bad blood and contract disputes.”

Chandler is confident that he’ll finish Alvarez again, and faster than he did two years ago. He does not count out the considerable abilities of his opponent, however.

“I can’t speak on [Alvarez’s] improvement since our first fight. He’s had two great wins since we fought. He’s improved. He’s a veteran of a sport. You can’t forget he’s been in the sport for around a decade. He knows how to train and he knows how to show up and fight and come forward and put on a show,” Chandler explains.

The champion knows for a fact that he’s a better fighter than he was the first time he faced Alvarez, however. Most importantly, Chandler says he is more experienced.

“I’ve had two more years to improve,” he says.

“I was very green the first time we fought. I’ve matured as an MMA fighter. I feel more like a veteran than before, when I felt like a new guy. I’m better in every area. I’m just excited to go out there and show how how much I’ve improved.”

[EXCLUSIVE] Muhammed ‘King Mo’ Lawal Talks His Heated Rematch with Emanuel Newton, Balancing Pro-Wrestling and MMA + More


(Photo via Bellator.)

By Elias Cepeda

Bellator light heavyweight Muhammed Lawal remembers the moment when the switch flipped for him regarding Emanuel Newton. Before they fought this past February at Bellator 90, the former training partners were respectful of one another in public statements.

After Newton shocked Lawal and the world with a spinning backfist KO in the first round, however, “The Hardcore Kid” began to suggest that Lawal had simply received his comeuppance for being cocky. To Lawal, who says he made an effort to not trash talk Newton because of their mutual friend Antonio McKee, it was a criticism that came out of nowhere and it created harder feelings than simply losing had engendered.

“A friend told me that [Newton] had said I was cocky and got what I deserved in an interview and I was like, ‘what?'” Newton remembers. (Ed note: I’d like to think it was one of those extended, overly-dramatic “Say WHAAAAAAAAT?” kind of whats. I’m not even here. -Danga)

It’s not that Lawal is unaware of how he comes off when he saunters into the ring or cage wearing a crown and a cape, it’s just that he didn’t expect to be called that after a fight where he’d made a special effort to not do much trash-talking.

“I don’t know what he’s doing. Maybe he’s trying to play to the media so they can write about him, but I didn’t go into that fight cocky and I didn’t fight cocky. I know the mistake I made in that fight and it was a mistake I’d made before and was working on.”


(Photo via Bellator.)

By Elias Cepeda

Bellator light heavyweight Muhammed Lawal remembers the moment when the switch flipped for him regarding Emanuel Newton. Before they fought this past February at Bellator 90, the former training partners were respectful of one another in public statements.

After Newton shocked Lawal and the world with a spinning backfist KO in the first round, however, “The Hardcore Kid” began to suggest that Lawal had simply received his comeuppance for being cocky. To Lawal, who says he made an effort to not trash talk Newton because of their mutual friend Antonio McKee, it was a criticism that came out of nowhere and it created harder feelings than simply losing had engendered.

“A friend told me that [Newton] had said I was cocky and got what I deserved in an interview and I was like, ‘what?’” Newton remembers. (Ed note: I’d like to think it was one of those extended, overly-dramatic “Say WHAAAAAAAAT?” kind of whats. I’m not even here. -Danga)

It’s not that Lawal is unaware of how he comes off when he saunters into the ring or cage wearing a crown and a cape, it’s just that he didn’t expect to be called that after a fight where he’d made a special effort to not do much trash-talking.

“I don’t know what he’s doing. Maybe he’s trying to play to the media so they can write about him, but I didn’t go into that fight cocky and I didn’t fight cocky. I know the mistake I made in that fight and it was a mistake I’d made before and was working on,” Lawal continues.

Contrary to popular opinion, “King Mo” says that did not have his hands low as the result of an over-reliance on Mayweather-taught boxing or arrogance or any combination of the two. “Watch the whole sequence,” he maintains, “I had my hands up. But I drop them when I load up. I have to stop loading up on punches.”

As he heads into a rematch with Newton this Saturday, Lawal clearly feels that he’s improved and will be ready to avenge the loss. Mo has notched two straight knockout wins since the loss to Newton in February and on Saturday he will vie for the Bellator interim light heavyweight title.

It is interesting to consider how much any fighter can truly improve their skills when they are as busy and competing as often as Lawal has. Not only has Mo already fought four times in 2013, he’s also been balancing that with professional wrestling development work.

Pro Wrestling

When we spoke with Lawal some time ago, shortly after he had signed with both Bellator and TNA Wrestling, he was confident that he could handle simultaneous careers in the physically and emotionally demanding fields. Mo is still enthusiastic about wrestling but admits that the MMA/wrasslin’ balance is harder than he thought it would be.

“Yeah, it is,” he says.

“I feel like every time I take a step forward in my development in pro wrestling, I fall two steps backwards because I have to do a fight. Wrestling is definitely hard on the body. I remember one day we had a two hour practice led by Al Snow and then I had to go do a match that night. It is incredible how these guys do this every day and do four or more matches a week and travel. I enjoy doing it and I’m getting better. I’m good at the moves and taking bumps but there’s so much to learn about match psychology. I don’t want to just go do appearances out there, I want to be good at it and put on great matches. I’m still excited to do it it is just hard to find the time to improve the way I want to. I might take extra time after this next fight to focus on wrestling practice.”

The road back

Lawal says that it wasn’t hard for him to recover from his loss to Newton and get focus on winning again. “Not really,” he says flatly.

It wasn’t that he had been knocked out. It wasn’t that a fluke type of shot put him out. Lawal is a competitor. He’s been doing it in amateur wrestling at the highest levels since he was a kid and he knows how to get ready for a competition. Losses are not welcome but they don’t get into his head.

“A loss is always bad but it didn’t affect me psychologically,” he explains. “It just isn’t hard to get back in there and train and get ready for the next one. That’s what I did and I’m ready for this next one.”

Mo doesn’t offer any detailed or boasting predictions for his rematch with Newton but it’s clear that he feels superior to his opponent in more ways than one.

“He’s so cheesy isn’t he?” he asks, having his own answer.

“He’s corny and boring.”

And really, how can a king lose to someone like that?

[EXCLUSIVE] Bellator Champ Pat Curran Is Making the Most of His Short Window of Opportunity


(“The goal was to make a good living doing this and I’m already there. I want to see how far I can take it.” Photo via Esther Lin/MMAFighting)

By Elias Cepeda

Of late, much of the big news that comes from Bellator has to do with contract clauses and disputes, lawsuits and high-profile cancellations. Because of that, one can imagine it being difficult for a marquee Bellator fighter like Pat Curran to focus on simply doing his job well.

However, the featherweight champion insists that he doesn’t keep up on other people’s news and stays focused on what matters — fighting. “I don’t like to think about it too much,” he tells CagePotato.

“As a fighter I have a very short career window and I have to make the most of where I’m at right now. I’m on a main stage with a major organization that gives me the opportunity to stay busy and make a pretty decent living.”

Having a tough opponent in front of you can help a fighter keep focused as well and Curran has exactly that this Saturday at Bellator 106 when he defends his belt against Bellator Season 6 tournament winner Daniel Straus.

“He’s very talented and very well rounded,” Curran says of the challenger.

“He throws a lot of straight, long punches and follows up with kicks. He does a very good job mixing up striking with wrestling. He’s good at clinching with guys and wearing them out. I’m definitely not just expecting a striking fight like I had with ‘Pitbull’ [Patricio Freire]. I’m prepared for anything. If it becomes a striking match, I’m ready for it. If it goes to the ground, I’m ready to mix it up.”


(“The goal was to make a good living doing this and I’m already there. I want to see how far I can take it.” Photo via Esther Lin/MMAFighting)

By Elias Cepeda

Of late, much of the big news that comes from Bellator has to do with contract clauses and disputes, lawsuits and high-profile cancellations. Because of that, one can imagine it being difficult for a marquee Bellator fighter like Pat Curran to focus on simply doing his job well.

However, the featherweight champion insists that he doesn’t keep up on other people’s news and stays focused on what matters — fighting. “I don’t like to think about it too much,” he tells CagePotato.

“As a fighter I have a very short career window and I have to make the most of where I’m at right now. I’m on a main stage with a major organization that gives me the opportunity to stay busy and make a pretty decent living.”

Having a tough opponent in front of you can help a fighter keep focused as well and Curran has exactly that this Saturday at Bellator 106 when he defends his belt against Bellator Season 6 tournament winner Daniel Straus.

“He’s very talented and very well rounded,” Curran says of the challenger.

“He throws a lot of straight, long punches and follows up with kicks. He does a very good job mixing up striking with wrestling. He’s good at clinching with guys and wearing them out. I’m definitely not just expecting a striking fight like I had with ‘Pitbull’ [Patricio Freire]. I’m prepared for anything. If it becomes a striking match, I’m ready for it. If it goes to the ground, I’m ready to mix it up.”

Curran has indeed managed to develop a well-rounded game in his brief six years in the sport of MMA. He’s come a long way from growing up pretty ignorant of the sport in Florida and having his cousin, UFC veteran Jeff Curran, convince him to move to Northern Illinois with him and give it a shot.

“I had no clue back then,” Curran says. “I kind of went into it blind.”

After high school and going to school to become a paramedic, Curran heeded his cousin’s advice, moved north and began training as much as he could in between odd jobs. Now, he’s one of the best 145 pound fighters in the world and says he’s accomplished what he set out to do, though his hunger remains.

“My goal, overall, is to keep doing what I’m doing,” Pat explains.

“I know I’m still young and haven’t hit my peak yet. I want to keep an open mind, keep developing and keep learning. The goal was to make a good living doing this and I’m already there. I want to see how far I can take it.”

Kron Gracie Wins ADCC 2013 Tournament – Will He Turn to MMA Next?


(On the other hand, a noodling business venture with the Diaz brothers seems pretty tempting.)

Kron Gracie, son of family champ Rickson Gracie, won gold in the -77kg weight class of the 2013 ADCC tournament this past weekend. The ADCC is like the Olympics of submission grappling, with the world’s best meeting every two years to decide weight class champs as well as an open-weight champion.

Gracie won all four of his matches by submission, joining the elite ranks of former champions to have done the same like Marcelo Garcia and second cousin Roger Gracie. Kron beat UFC veteran Andy Wang in his first match, Gary Tonon in his second, J.T. Torres in his third and rival Otavio Souza in the finals.

Before competing at Metamoris II this past summer, Gracie told CagePotato that he has been training MMA with the Diaz brothers for some time and plans to make the transition to MMA in the near future. Gracie is supposed to have a super match at the World Jiu Jitsu Expo next month but it will be interesting to see what he decides to do in 2014.

Will Gracie decide to leverage his now champion status in the submission grappling world or walk away and make a name for himself in MMA? How much of a sense of urgency does he feel to focus all of his attention on developing a well-rounded MMA game?

Only time will tell but we’ll certainly bring you updates as they occur. For the time being, enjoy Kron’s 2013 ADCC matches against Tonon and Souza after the jump.


(On the other hand, a noodling business venture with the Diaz brothers seems pretty tempting.)

Kron Gracie, son of family champ Rickson Gracie, won gold in the -77kg weight class of the 2013 ADCC tournament this past weekend. The ADCC is like the Olympics of submission grappling, with the world’s best meeting every two years to decide weight class champs as well as an open-weight champion.

Gracie won all four of his matches by submission, joining the elite ranks of former champions to have done the same like Marcelo Garcia and second cousin Roger Gracie. Kron beat UFC veteran Andy Wang in his first match, Gary Tonon in his second, J.T. Torres in his third and rival Otavio Souza in the finals.

Before competing at Metamoris II this past summer, Gracie told CagePotato that he has been training MMA with the Diaz brothers for some time and plans to make the transition to MMA in the near future. Gracie is supposed to have a super match at the World Jiu Jitsu Expo next month but it will be interesting to see what he decides to do in 2014.

Will Gracie decide to leverage his now champion status in the submission grappling world or walk away and make a name for himself in MMA? How much of a sense of urgency does he feel to focus all of his attention on developing a well-rounded MMA game?

Only time will tell but we’ll certainly bring you updates as they occur. For the time being, enjoy Kron’s 2013 ADCC matches against Tonon and Souza after the jump.

Kron Gracie vs. Gary Tonon:

Kron Gracie vs. Otavio Souza:

–Elias Cepeda