Image via Esther Lin of MMA Fighting
Vitor Belfort apparently has a lot on his mind these days. The TUF Brazil coach, who was supposed to face Wandelei Silva at UFC 147 but was forced out with a broken hand, did a a Portuguese interview with Globo (translated by Fighters Only) that is full of interesting tidbits. He talks about who he should fight next, takes a shot at a fellow Brazilian who apparently picked his next opponent, and even spoke of returning to 205 pounds.
First off, he gave some insight into who he wants face next:
"I guess Wanderlei will be able to fight in October but I only want that my next bout that accredits me to dispute the belt. I don't know, maybe Michael Bisping. I was only defeated once recently, by Anderson Silva, and all my wins were very convincing.
"I think I deserve this chance for my legacy. Some fighters are like: ‘Ah, the guy who has the belt is my friend, I don't want [to fight] him' - well, I want it," he affirmed.
Next up was his shot at Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. He doesn't actually say his name, but it's pretty obvious about his target:
"I don't pick fights. There are people who say ‘If they give me this guy, I would rather be fired'! I was even talking about it with Dana White. How can anybody choose their fight? Obviously some managers force things for their athletes go up in the career but I want to make a fight that interests the public. I already am in the end of my career, so I want to do one more fight and go for the belt," he said.
Finally, he talks about possibly moving back to 205 pounds, and not being scared of the current champion:
"I don’t know how long I will stay in this division. I wanted to do more two or three fights. If my body will no longer permit this big weight cutting, I will go up (to 205-lbs). I am not afraid of Jon Jones or somebody else... Its not for me to choose my opponents."
Belfort, who recently had a supporting wire removed from his injured hand, hopes to return to training soon. You can watch that video after the jump...
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