“Everybody Loses” With Vitor Belfort vs Chris Weidman Postponement
With Vitor Belfort vs Chris Weidman postponed until 2015, which version of “The Phenom” will we see?
UFC middleweight contender Vitor Belfort is yet to compete in 2014, after pulling out of UFC 175 and Chris Weidman’s hand injury caused the Brazilian’s ufc 181 title shot to get pushed back. Now eyeing a return in 2015, there are questions about how “The Phenom” will perform after such a long period of absence.
The TRT ban may also have a negative impact on Belfort’s performance, or at least on his physique. According to a recent interview with MMAFighting, none of this concerns the Blackzilians team member:
“The fact that I haven’t fought in 2014 will only make my opponents surprised with my performance, I had time to adapt myself and evolve even more. Despite not having fought, I worked hard at Blackzilians and spent this whole time getting ready to win my third world title in a different weight class in the UFC.”
“The year of 2014 was really full of postponements and twists, but I’m positive that those adversities will only make me stronger and ready for the next challenges,” he said. “I was expecting to fight and win the title, but I believe that everything happens for a reason. My training routine is intense, it’s part of my lifestyle. I will continue focused on reinventing myself and getting stronger every day, waiting for the fight.”
Belfort’s reaction to Weidman’s hand injury was negative at best, as he called for an interim title, a request that fell on deaf ears. He continues:
“In this type of situation, everybody loses – the fans, who want to see an incredible fight, the other athlete, who trains hard for a fight, the promoters and sponsors, who want to make it all happen. The belt must be available to be conquered by the best fighter. I’m in favor of creating an interim title for cases like this, when the champion gets injured more than once, especially in back-to-back injuries, preventing title fights to happen.”
Given the fact that Weidman actually defended his belt this year, it would seem a little pointless setting up an interim title fight. Also, the fight at UFC 175 was all good until Belfort backed out because of the whole TRT mess. Vitor Belfort vs Chris Weidman will serve as a great title fight to anticipate in the first quarter of 2015, but will “The Phenom” have the speed and strength he once possessed?
Having fought for 18 years, Belfort is a lot more crafty than “The All-American” at this stage. What Weidman lacks in experience though, he more than makes up for with raw ability and a sizeable wrestling advantage. How do you think this fight will go down?
