Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s first-round knockout of Thiago Tavares at Saturday’s UFC on FX 7: Belfort vs. Bisping immediately joined Melendez vs. Kawajiri and Miocic vs. Del Rosario in the pantheon of vicious elbows-from-above MMA finishes. The win also upped Nurmagomedov’s career record to a remarkable 19-0, and represented his third straight win in the Octagon. It’s clear that the Russian Sambo/Judo ace has the potential to make a serious impact in the UFC’s lightweight division. So who should he face next? Well, he’s got an opinion about that.
After the fight, FUEL TV’s Heidi Androl talked to “The Eagle” about his ball-busting t-shirt at the weigh-ins and his training at American Kickboxing Academy. Nurmagomedov also mentioned that he really wants to face Nate Diaz in his next fight. It was a smart bit of post-fight matchmaking, as a meeting with Diaz could give Nurmagomedov the exposure that he’ll need to break into the title mix.
On the other hand, Diaz might not want to face a relative newcomer without much name value. (As with the frequently-ducked Glover Teixeira, there just isn’t much upside to fighting a dangerous, non-star like Nurmagomedov.) Though I’m sure Diaz vs. Nurmagomedov would be an entertaining scrap, I wouldn’t be surprised if the UFC books Khabib against another mid-level opponent before letting him in the cage with Top 5-caliber competition. Any other ideas on who Nurmagomedov should take on next?
Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s first-round knockout of Thiago Tavares at Saturday’s UFC on FX 7: Belfort vs. Bisping immediately joined Melendez vs. Kawajiri and Miocic vs. Del Rosario in the pantheon of vicious elbows-from-above MMA finishes. The win also upped Nurmagomedov’s career record to a remarkable 19-0, and represented his third straight win in the Octagon. It’s clear that the Russian Sambo/Judo ace has the potential to make a serious impact in the UFC’s lightweight division. So who should he face next? Well, he’s got an opinion about that.
After the fight, FUEL TV’s Heidi Androl talked to “The Eagle” about his ball-busting t-shirt at the weigh-ins and his training at American Kickboxing Academy. Nurmagomedov also mentioned that he really wants to face Nate Diaz in his next fight. It was a smart bit of post-fight matchmaking, as a meeting with Diaz could give Nurmagomedov the exposure that he’ll need to break into the title mix.
On the other hand, Diaz might not want to face a relative newcomer without much name value. (As with the frequently-ducked Glover Teixeira, there just isn’t much upside to fighting a dangerous, non-star like Nurmagomedov.) Though I’m sure Diaz vs. Nurmagomedov would be an entertaining scrap, I wouldn’t be surprised if the UFC books Khabib against another mid-level opponent before letting him in the cage with Top 5-caliber competition. Any other ideas on who Nurmagomedov should take on next?
As soon as Vitor Belfort stopped talking, I knew one thing: Either he was crazy or I was. There’s no other explanation for how two men could have two such divergent world views.To be fair to Belfort, he had just finished a cage fight, disposing of top …
As soon as VitorBelfort stopped talking, I knew one thing: Either he was crazy or I was. There’s no other explanation for how two men could have two such divergent world views.
To be fair to Belfort, he had just finished a cage fight, disposing of top contender Michael Bisping with a head kick that required a recalibration of the UFC’s carefully crafted schemes for the middleweight division in 2013. He was never really rocked, but he took a few to the noggin. I could forgive him some confusion.
But his speech didn’t just seem a little off to me. It was straight bonkers. The stuff of fiction. Crazy talk. Judge for yourself:
Take that punk ChaelSonnen…get him out. Dana, Lorenzo, kick him out. Let me fight Jon Jones. I need that rematch. Take that clown away. Go home…You did a reality show. Go home. Let me fight the real champion. Champion against champion, not that clown.
As a monologue, it wasn’t quite Shakespeare. But inside the cage isn’t often where a man does his best thinking. Later on Fuel TV, after the adrenaline had died down a bit, Belfort attempted to gather his thoughts and try again. The essence, however, was much the same:
[Sonnen] is a clown. Get out. Get out of the way. He just got knocked out pretty bad by Anderson Silva then he fights Jon Jones. He doesn’t deserve the reality show. Let me fight—real champion versus real champion. I know he’s a good athlete, but he needs to go to the back of the line. Let me fight the rematch.
So let’s get this straight. Not only does Belfort apparently think that he is a UFC champion, despite not holding a title since 2004, he also wants the UFC to cancel a fight it has invested millions of dollars in and hours of television time in order to allow him to step in and take on the best light heavyweight in the world? A light heavyweight who, by the way, dismantled him in brutal fashion just a matter of months ago.
His reasoning?
Sonnen recently lost decisively to Anderson Silva at middleweight and doesn‘t deserve the shot.
Everything about his bizarre request is antithetical to real sport. Belfort, in case you missed it, was fighting Bisping at middleweight, not light heavyweight. That’s a division he hasn’t competed in regularly since all the way back in 2007.
Further complicating the issue?
He’s just 3-2 in his last five fights.
The idea of Belfort, or Sonnen for that matter, being granted a title shot would seem ludicrous were it not for the precedent set by—and here’s where it really gets trippy—VitorBelfort.
His critique of Sonnen‘s title shot was tinted with more than a little irony. Belfort, too, was granted a shot at Jon Jones, despite having spent years fighting at middleweight. Belfort too was granted his shot despite losing, in an all-time highlight reel knockout fashion, to Silva.
Don’t get me wrong. There is every reason to rail against Sonnen‘s title shot. It’s insulting to the very idea of sport, a blatant money grab that demeans the work done to separate cage fighting from boxing and pro wrestling, its combat sports brethren not known for transparent or sensible matchmaking.
But Belfort has walked in Chael‘s shoes. There’s every reason for fighters to be huffy about Sonnen‘s unearned opportunities. Belfort, however, lives in the sport’s only other glass house. Almost anyone can complain—except VitorBelfort.
I can understand Belfort‘s confusion in the cage. UFC matchmaker Joe Silva has encouraged fighters to call out specific opponents, giving potential matchups some extra oomph and excitement, making a typical fight feel more like a grudge match. For Belfort, picking a target couldn’t have been easy. He’s already lost in devastating fashion to both Silva and Jones. He’s a top-tier fighter, but one without a clear path to the title.
So, in a roundabout way, he actually called out ChaelSonnen. Sure he ostensibly demanded a shot at Jones, but it was Sonnen he insulted, Sonnen he name called and Sonnen who responded to his verbal assault on Fuel TV:
I’m really confused as to what’s going on? We’re not in the same weight class. I don’t know if he knows he’s not the champion. I keep hearing him say champion versus the champion. He keeps saying to move out of the way. I wouldn’t tell somebody to move out of the way, but I’d damn sure knock them out of the way. And Vitor, that’s one thing you’re not going to be able to do…Let me be really clear and speak directly to you Vitor. You have been telling the world that you want to meet Jesus and I will gladly arrange that travel, but first I am going to get rid of Jon Jones, then you are next. Vitor, I accept. Don’t make any mistake about that. You have called me out twice now.
The result here was brilliant. If Sonnen beats Jones, Belfort has made himself a logical choice to be Chael‘s first defense. After all, we’ve already established that rules and records are out the window when it comes to these two men.
If Jones beats Sonnen, as most experts predict he will, Belfort is still a super opponent for Chael‘s next fight. It won’t be for the title, but thanks to all the back and forth, will still be the hottest grudge match of the year.
VitorBelfort may indeed be crazy. But if so, he’s crazy like a fox. His insane post-fight rambling may not earn him a shot at Jones and may have caused many to scratch their heads in confusion, including me. He knew exactly what he was doing, though. A high-profile bout with Sonnen, the best money match he could possibly hope for, awaits.
Despite 16 years of wear-and-tear fighting against the absolute best mixed martial artists in the world, Brazilian superstar Vitor Belfort has never looked better.At his age, few men do.Even with 32 professional MMA bouts under his belt since 1996…
Despite 16 years of wear-and-tear fighting against the absolute best mixed martial artists in the world, Brazilian superstar VitorBelfort has never looked better.
At his age, few men do.
Even with 32 professional MMA bouts under his belt since 1996, “The Phenom” looks like he’s barely slowed down at all, as seen at UFC on FX 7 when he violently shut down co-headliner Michael Bisping with a spectacular high kick.
But was it all his own natural talent? Or was Belfort aided by something extra?
No, we’re not talking about any sort of divine favor from God, although He’s certainly one of Belfort‘s most prominent and often-mentioned sponsors.
What’s really the question of the hour is whether or not Belfort is on testosterone replacement therapy, better-known to most as “TRT.”
And if not testosterone, is he “on” anything at all?
It’s hard to tell, as Belfort has always been one of those freakishly muscular figures reminiscent of horrible 1990s comic book covers. But even ESPN writer Brett Okamotocouldn’t get a straight answer out of the UFC veteran, despite asking point-blank:
ESPN: Some fighters in their 30s have been diagnosed with low testosterone levels and received exemptions to use testosterone replacement therapy [TRT]. Have you ever applied for TRT or would you consider it?
Belfort: If a question is private, I have the choice to answer or not. If I make it public, it’s not private anymore. If I want to say something private I will say it, but I keep to myself and I respect the laws of the sport… This is too controversial, why am I going to say something that doesn’t accomplish anything? If it’s legal, they know what to do. If it’s legal, there’s nothing to say about it. It’s legal.
Wow. Talk about implausible deniability.
Maybe Belfort‘s trying desperately to abide by that pesky Ninth Commandment, or maybe he’s just afraid to make any kind of stance against MMA’s rampant drug problem.
After all, his new training camp—the aptly-named “Blackzilians”—includes the likes of Alistair Overeem, Thiago Silva and Melvin Guillard, who have four positive drug tests between the lot of them.
Moreover, Belfort himself has tested positive for steroids (via MMA Weekly) in the past, something Bisping was all too keen to remind everyone (via MMA Mania). That’s likely why Belfort danced around the subject with ESPN, saying that he is no one’s judge or jury:
That’s the problem with the rule, is that everyone is so radical. That’s my opinion. I’m very faithful to the things I believe in and I’m working on myself. I don’t like to judge. When you judge people, it sounds like you are God. We live in a freedom country. It is what it is.
But at the end of the day, this is a case where firm answers (or lies) would go a long way.
Yes, Belfort has always looked fast and powerful, especially at middleweight.
But with the question of TRT hanging in the air, it only prompts the eye to be a little more critical of the middleweight (and part-time light heavyweight) when he steps on the scale or into the Octagon.
“Did he always look that ripped?”
“Can you believe how fast he is?”
Just to be fair, it’s very possible that Belfort looks stronger than ever because of that miraculous-sounding Dolce Diet.
Maybe it’s that unshakable faith in Jesus Christ helping his fists fly straight and true, right smack into the back of his opponents’ heads.
But until Belfort comes clean, there’s always going to be that doubt.
Has clean living, a smarter diet, the Florida air, a new camp and saying extra prayers pushed “The Phenom” back into the elite ranks of this sport?
Or has he simply found a new way to augment his natural fighting ability?
Until someone eventually talks—or a positive test turns up for high testosterone—the answer will have to stay concealed with at least three people: Belfort, whoever manages his supplements and Jesus Christ.
McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and FightFans Radio writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld and PC World. Talk with him on Twitter.
The general consensus seemed to be that Vitor Belfort was fighting for nothing more than pride and a paycheck when he faced Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC on FX 7. When he high kicked his way to a second-round TKO victory, emotion may h…
The general consensus seemed to be that VitorBelfort was fighting for nothing more than pride and a paycheck when he faced Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC on FX 7. When he high kicked his way to a second-round TKO victory, emotion may have got the best of him when he took to the microphone during his post-fight interview and called for a fight against UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones while also ripping into Jones’ next opponent, ChaelSonnen.
For those of you who thought Belfort would change his tune once the adrenalin of the victory wore off, well, you were partially right; he was a bit more reserved, but his tune did not change when it came to Sonnen.
When speaking to Heidi Androl, Belfort reiterated the fact that he felt Sonnen to be a clown and that he should step out of the way so that Belfort could get the fight with Jones.
Belfort is barking up the wrong tree thinking that the UFC will move Sonnen out of the UFC 159 main event for any reason other than injury, but the talk very well may lead to a future bout between Belfort and Sonnen, and that fight, whether it takes place at light heavyweight or middleweight, is fine by me.
Michael Bisping fell short in his effort to earn a title fight when he was knocked out by Vitor Belfort in the main event of UFC on FX 7. The loss has to be particularly devastating for Bisping as it is now the third time in his career that he has…
Michael Bisping fell short in his effort to earn a title fight when he was knocked out by VitorBelfort in the main event of UFC on FX 7.
The loss has to be particularly devastating for Bisping as it is now the third time in his career that he has lost a fight that most believed was essentially a No. 1 contenders’ bout. Having come up short that many times, the question now has to be asked—not only will Bisping ever hold UFC gold, but will he ever even get a chance?
A former The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 winner as a light heavyweight, Bisping made his move down to 185 pounds back in April 2007 at UFC 83. In his previous bout against Rashad Evans, Bisping was simply overpowered and realized that he needed to make a change. The move down to 185 gave him a new career opportunity.
As good as Bisping has been at 185, the truth is that he has never quite gotten to that top level despite numerous opportunities to get there.
It started at UFC 100 when Bisping had a chance to move to the next level with a chance against former Pride champion Dan Henderson. He failed in that opportunity, getting knocked out by the slugger late in Round 2.
After winning five of his next six fights, Bisping was given another opportunity against ChaelSonnen at UFC on FOX 2. Despite a near comeback late in the fight, Bisping came up short again, losing the decision.
Finally we got to UFC on FX 7 on Saturday night. Although Belfort is certainly still a solid fighter, the consensus seemed to be that if Bisping made it out of Round 1, the Brit would be the one with his hand raised.
As it turned out, he was knocked out yet again, marking the third time that he lost an apparent No. 1 contenders’ bout throughout his UFC career.
Bisping gave a good post-fight speech, telling fans that he’s not going anywhere and that he’ll be back, but at this point, it’s hard to have much confidence in him. He simply doesn’t rise to the occasion for his biggest fights.
I hate to label Bisping as a “choke artist,” but what Michael Bisping has done is actually worse than what Kenny Florian did in his numerous title fights. At least Florian was losing championship fights—Bisping isn’t even getting there.
Bisping fans will note that their fighter is still relatively young and does have a chance to get a championship at some point. But when you look at his body of work in important fights, would you really put your money on it?
Going into Saturday’s fight card, there weren’t a lot of high-interest matches for UFC on FX 7, a card loaded with gritty Brazilian fighters and lesser known talents.But even though the prelim fights dragged the night to a crawl, they were still pepper…
Going into Saturday’s fight card, there weren’t a lot of high-interest matches for UFC on FX 7, a card loaded with gritty Brazilian fighters and lesser known talents.
But even though the prelim fights dragged the night to a crawl, they were still peppered with occasional moments here and there.
Lots of close fights, complete blowouts and several poor officiating spots were all over the place, with much of the action dedicated to the main card, all building up to a pretty engaging night of MMA.
Read along and watch the highlights as we count down the most memorable moments of UFC on FX 7, from well before the big night all the way to the end of the big show.
As soon as 
