UFC
Dana White says if NAC licenses Vitor Belfort, "they're going to Olympic-style test him like crazy" until Chris Weidman bout
Jul 23, 2014 - 9:45:42 AM Dana White says if NAC licenses Vitor Belfort, "they're going to Olympic-style test him like crazy" until Chris Weidman bout

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Vitor Belfort will attempt to get licensed by the Nevada Athletic Commission today during their monthly meeting, which would pave the way for a UFC Middleweight Title bout with Chris Weidman in his next fight.

There's no guarantee he'll be granted that license, as he failed a drug test in February while unlicensed, and that will play into whether they grant the license now. Given it's a second offense in the state of Nevada, and there's precedent to deny his request and bar him from applying for at least nine months if not longer, it seems his confidence in getting licensed is destined to be met with disappointment.

In the event he does get a license, though, the story will turn to whether or not he's competing clean when he finally meets Chris Weidman. To that end, UFC President Dana White believes the most stringent testing done yet will be applied to Belfort if he's granted his license.

"If Vitor gets licensed, from now until the fight with Weidman they're going to Olympic-style test him like crazy," White said in the latest edition of UFC.com's The Download. "If he's on anything, if he does anything, he'll get caught. When he fights Chris Weidman, he'll be 100 percent clean."

Penick's Analysis: Here's the question to ask - will the fight take place in Las Vegas? Because if White tries to bring it to Brazil as he's mentioned, would the NAC actually test Belfort? Would they spend that money for a fight not happening under their jurisdiction? I don't think they would, so the UFC will need the fight with Weidman to happen in Vegas, probably on January 3, and Belfort will need to be tested frequently. That could still happen even with a denial today, as a nine month delay could allow him to fight in January still.