Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort will be returning to the United States after not fighting since UFC 51 when
he lost to Tito Ortiz via a split decision. Belfort will be dropping down to middleweight
(185 lbs.) instead of the 205-pound fighter we are used to seeing. He
will be participating in the July 19th Affliction: "Banned" fight
card as he prepares to fight former UFC veteran Terry Martin.
Belfort has
been been training with Shawn Tompkins under Xtreme Couture for quite some time
now and he seems pretty satisfied with his training team.
Here’s what Tompkins had to say about the type of Belfort we’ll be seeing on July 19th:
“I am working as exclusively as possible with Vitor. Vitor
just needs to get that aggression back. The same thing we were able to do for
Wanderlei, we’re going to do with Vitor… He’s walking around about 10 lbs over
and there will be no issue with the weight. He looks great… You won’t see the
Vitor of old. You will see a better Vitor than ever. He really looks unbelievable”
Belfort is the current light heavyweight champion of Cage Rage over in England and has notable wins
over UFC veterans David "Tank" Abbott, Wanderlei "Axe
Murderer" Silva, Marvin "Beastman" Eastman, Heath "Texas
Crazy Horse" Herring and many more. We’ll be hoping to see a very good
performance by the Carlson Gracie black belt BJJ expert. Vitor Belfort
and Terry Martin are scheduled to fight as part of the preliminary fight card
for Affliction.
Here’s a snip from Vitor Belfort himself as he talke with mmaweekly about his
upcoming fight:
In regards to the debut of Affliction on July 19th:
“I’m really excited…It’s a great event. We look forward to
it becoming big. The sport’s already huge. We just need the right people around
the sport; the right promoters taking care of fighters. Everything is right
there; it’s just waiting for us…The fans are the ones supporting this thing.
All the sports in the world including soccer, American football; without the
fans they are nothing. That’s why I’m always thinking of them. They are always
on my mind. One of the reasons I’m still doing this is for them. I’m really
excited to fight in America for my fans."
In regards to his training:
"I think the mentality of Xtreme Couture is wonderful. It’s a
great facility, a great group of sparring partners, good trainers. I really
enjoy it. Everybody is equal over here. Coach Tompkins is wonderful. I’m having
a great time with him and other coaches over here too. I think it’s the perfect
environment for a fighter. It’s been a pleasure. I’ve developed my skills and
I’m ready to go. I’m really enjoying it and being ready for my next
fight."
In regards to his bout with Terry Martin:
“My goal is Terry Martin. But if you asked me what my goal
is to be at the top of this weight division, to fight the best and be the best.
That’s everybody’s goal – to be in the spotlight. I want to accomplish so many
things. One of the things I want is to be the champion and fighting the
best…Terry’s a tough guy. He’s very strong. He has heavy hands. I’m facing a
lion, man. Two lions are going to face each other on the 19th, so I’m ready to
go. I’m ready to knock him out. I’m ready to finish him on the ground. I’m
ready to take him down. I’m ready for anything!”
