Vitor Belfort Says ‘Direspectful’ Conor McGregor ‘Not Real Athlete’

Former UFC light-heavyweight champion and UFC 12 heavyweight tournament winner Vitor Belfort, love him or hate him, is a true legend of the sport. Providing some of the most brutal highlight reel finishes in the promotion’s history, ‘The Phenom’ has also had his fair share of media attention over recent years, and not all of it was positive. Through steroid allegations and the testosterone era, Belfort has emerged still fighting. Next scheduled to face Dan Henderson for the trilogy maker at UFC Fight Night 77 in November, the Brazilian banger has been keeping a keen eye on the UFC featherweight division, in particular the upcoming unification bout at UFC 194.

Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor are once again locked in a heated feud, and this time the stories of the week came from the recent ‘GO BIG’ presser in Las Vegas, Nevada. ‘The Notorious’ was spouting all kinds of taunts towards anyone who dared question him, and ‘The Phenom’ didn’t like what he saw. Taking to his Instagram, as transcribed by MMAFighting, Belfort took a pop at McGregor for his recent behaviour:

“This is a legend fight Belfort vs. Henderson 3. We don’t need trash talk to sell tickets. I am wondering if one day MMA will be seen more like a sport and less than entertainment? It seems that we are going to the wrong way. A good example is Aldo (real athlete) and Mc Gregor (trash talker). To become an Olympic sport we have to apply the Olympic values not only the Olympic rules. Where is the RESPECT?!? I don’t want to see our kids thinking that to become a successful MMA athlete you have to talk crap instead of respecting others. Real martial arts is not about this!!! We need a good example starting from the organizations, fighters and extending to the media and fans. It is a free consulting!!! I have a voice!!!!”

We’ve been subject to the Conor McGregor show for around a year now, and it’s clear that ‘The Phenom’ is among the crowd that doesn’t see ‘The Notorious’ one as good for the sport. His influence is undeniable, and he brings big money in the form of PPV (pay-per-view) buys and a nation of Irish fans with him.

The way McGregor has been talking lately, he’d probably offer a move to 185 pounds to fight Belfort, although it’s likely they could meet at welterweight given the Brazilian’s smaller physique now days. As unlikely as that seems, stay tuned to LowKickMMA for the inevitable response from Conor McGregor!