Vitor Belfort cleared to face Weidman at UFC 181 in December

The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) has granted Vitor Belfort a conditional license, which will permit him to face UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman in the main event of UFC 181 on December 6 (December 7 in PH) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.

Belfort and lawyer Michael Alonso made their request in person on Thursday morning, July 24 (PH Time) at NSAC’s office, which the world’s premier mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion streamed live on its UFC Fight Pass digital network.

The regulatory board voted unanimously to allow Belfort to compete in the state on three conditions: 1) He will not fight prior to December, 2) His fight will be held in Las Vegas, and 3) He makes himself available for any and all drug testing at his expense.

“I made a commitment, and I want to fight in Vegas. I want that fight to be here. I want to show the capabilities of me as an athlete. I respect this sport and the rules behind this sport. Whatever you ask will be done,” agreed Belfort, who broke down in tears while delivering his opening statement to the commission.

Commissioner Anthony Marnell issued the unyielding warning to Belfort during the proceedings as he promised that the Brazilian MMA legend will be subjected to random testing for the duration of his prizefighting career.

“We’re going to drug test you until the day you retire. We should be in and around your career until you call it quits. I just want to make sure as we address the future drug testing that we are not in a position to look like fools or ever get burned. I want a 100-percent guarantee that we’re not going to get blindsided,” Marnell said.

Belfort, a former user of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), underwent an NSAC-administered drug check on February 7 while in Las Vegas for the 2014 World MMA Awards.

Although NSAC did not release the results in public, Belfort voluntarily took himself out of the championship clash with Weidman at UFC 173 in the wake of the governing body’s change in stance on TRT-use and cited that he needed ample time to adjust his system to fighting without the aforementioned treatment.

The sanctioning group decided to prohibit therapeutic-use exemptions, which affected potential first-time applicants as well as previous users, who would not be granted new exceptions when they apply for a renewed permit to fight in Nevada. 

As a result of the ill-fated scenario, one-time light heavyweight titlist Lyoto Machida took Belfort’s spot to challenge Weidman for the middleweight belt, which was rescheduled at UFC 175 earlier this month.

During the hearing, the 37-year-old fighter affirmed that he failed the test due to a spike in his testosterone levels because he received a higher dose prior to traveling to the United States to be screened by NSAC.

“I was doing [TRT] twice a week. Once I was traveling here, I did once a week. I did the one shot, so I think that’s the reason it was elevated. I took the shot the day before, so that way I didn’t have to carry the things around. That was the reason the levels were high,” he stated.

Moreover, Belfort asserted that he immediately quit using TRT as soon as it was banned by the commission and admitted that the transition was difficult.

“In the beginning, it was really hard. It was a crash, but I believe we are moving by a will. Some people have skill and some people have will. I have a will, and God gave me a talent,” he expressed.

Belfort (24-10), who was last seen in action in November of last year, has been on a late-career run that includes three-straight triumphs over notable combatants such as Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson.

“The Phenom” has made a reputation for himself in his previous Octagon outings, landing fight-ending head kicks in each of his last three wins.

On the other hand, Weidman (12-0) kept his grasp on the UFC middleweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Machida.

Weidman captured the 185-pound trinket by knocking out Anderson Silva in July 2013 at UFC 162 and then successfully defended the crown by defeating “The Spider” again at December’s UFC 168 when he checked a kick that fractured the former champion’s leg. – Rappler.com