UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman will make his next title defense later this year against Vitor Belfort and a date for the fight has not been announced by the UFC.
UFC President Dana White has said recently that the two potential dates for the fight are Memorial Day weekend and Independance Day weekend.
During an appearance on the Jim Rome radio show on Monday from Radio Row in New York, Weidman told Rome that he is hoping the UFC will book the fight for Memorial Day weekend.
“The UFC actually kind of put it in my hands,” Weidman told Rome. “They were like, ‘you chose a date.’ I have not chosen a date for any of my other fights and I don’t want to start now. I am like superstitious and I don’t want to jinx myself. So I just said listen, I want to get in the cage as fast as possible but you guys make the decision. I am hoping they pick May, but who knows.”
Along with discussing with Rome about when the fight may take place, Rome asked the UFC champion his thoughts on Belfort potentially being on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) for the fight. Weidman has expressed in the past why he does not like TRT and went into length with Rome why he doesn’t think TRT should be allowed in any type of combat sport.
“I really don’t care what he does with the commission.” Weidman said. “I don’t like TRT. My stance is TRT should not be allowed in any type of combat sport. I haven’t really thought about it in other professional sports. It increases your strength and gives you energy and then the other important thing in mixed martial arts is experience. That is why you have older guys that have the belt and then if you are able to match the experience with the testosterone, energy, and your strength, it’s kind of unfair for a younger guy.”
“I am 29 years old and have wrestled my whole life, killed my body so my testosterone is not the highest testosterone in the world. Not even high at all and I’m fine, I’m the world champion. I train 2-3 times a day. I get sore and I continue to push myself. This guy is going to be working out 2-3 times a day and recover faster than me, and he is 37 years old. Be stronger than me, have more muscle than me but I am still going to beat him up.”
Belfort is currently on a three fight winning streak and has been given an exemption to use TRT for his past couple of bouts. He will have to appear in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission to get an exemption to use TRT, and the commission could decide to not allow it due to a previous failed drug test.
Following his bout in 2006 at Pride 32 in Las Vegas, Belfort tested positive for a banned substance. He would end up being suspended nine months for the positive drug test and was fined $10,000.
It’s likely that Belfort will have to go through what Josh Barnett had to go through prior to UFC 168. Just like Belfort, Barnett had a previous positive drug test and the Nevada State Athletic Commission made him do extra drug testing, along with his opponent, Travis Browne.
According to Weidman, UFC Chairman Lorenzo Fertitta told him that additional testing will take place for this fight, which Weidman was happy to hear.
“I just found out from Lorenzo Fertitta yesterday that whether or not Vitor gets his TRT exemption, I think he gets tested and I think I get tested throughout the whole camp because he has been tested positive for PED’s in the past, so that is nice to hear.”
We will have to wait and see what the Nevada State Athletic Commission decides to do with this situation, but a physician will advise the commission to not grant Belfort a therapeutic use exemption or any fighter that has tested positive for a banned substance. Belfort has not applied for an exemption for TRT at this time, but he will apply for the exemption once the UFC officially sets a date for the title fight.