Towards the latter half of his career, Vitor Belfort’s use of TRT has been one of the major strands of his narrative as a fighter.
Now in his first fight since late 2013, Belfort who is supposedly off of TRT is scheduled to take on Chris Weidman for UFC Middleweight Championship at UFC 187. Belfort spoke in a pre-fight press scrum about competing without TRT.
“[I can be] as best as I can. That’s the only thing I can do,” said Belfort. “That’s the only thing I think. You have to be focused, and it’s what you can do. It’s not what you can’t, so I’m focused on what I can versus what I can’t.”
And as far as focus goes, Belfort has paid little attention to the fact that he’s a major underdog on most betting lines.
“[The favorite comes down to] Depending on who you ask for, you know what I mean. That’s the thing. It’s like me and my team and my family, we are confident,” Belfort said. “I’m not a fan of gambling, so the thing is like, if you believe, that’s the key. If you believe, that’s enough. You’ve got to believe, not others, so I’m focused on what I believe.”
Regardless of what he believes, Belfort will have an opportunity this Saturday to win the UFC Middleweight Championship and improve his legacy as a fighter. It’s not a potential moment that’s lost on him.
“[This is] the best moment of my life,” said Belfort. “It’s like how many fighters are going to leave the legacy I did. 19 years ago, I was a champion. 19 years old, I came and I conquered,” said Belfort. “I won one title at light heavyweight, and now I’m coming for the middleweight title.