Ahead of his UFC Middleweight title fight against Chris Weidman at UFC 181 in December, Vitor Belfort spoke to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour this week about life off Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT). Belfort says despite his previous chemical enhancement, it’s his fighting ability that has gotten him this far in the UFC.
“I’m strong. I’m ready to take what’s mine. December 6th. I’m like an animal. TRT doesn’t give you spinning kicks, uppercuts. You can put TRT in your body. Look all those guys that were on TRT, they didn’t have good performances. Why? That’s the question.”
He continued:
“First of all, I didn’t have any illegal substances in my body. Nothing was wrong. Everybody knew I was on TRT. Nevada knew it.”
Referring to his random drug test that came back positive, Belfort said:
“I could have declined because I wasn’t licensed back then and they asked me to do it. People made it become a big issue. I’m glad it’s no more. People talked that I was this and that, I was on steroids. I wasn’t on steroids, I was doing TRT. I had no illegal substances in my body. I was clear. I opened all my tests. I used to do tests every week to see how my levels were. When you’re true to yourself and don’t try to cheat the system. A lot of guys, they just talk. I deal in a true way, open up my personal things. When you’re in treatment, your ratio goes outside and it became a big issue. I wasn’t cheating at all. I spent a lot of money in testing myself. It is what it is. It’s gone. No more TRT. Now, it’s TNT.”
When Helwani asked if he feels the need to win on December 6th to prove to the world that he can compete at the top level without TRT, Belfort says he has nothing to prove.
“You’re using the wrong word, Ariel. It’s not I have to, it’s I want to. When you transform you have to want to, your life is transformed and everything seems different. I cannot control the outcome, the crowd, the UFC, the commission, test, anything. The only thing I can control is my decisions. I want to. I don’t have anything to prove. I am who I am. Nobody can change that. Only you can change you. That’s how Vitor Belfort gets things done.”
