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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Vitor Belfort's spinning head kick over Luke Rockhold on Saturday night was his second such victory in 2013, and his fourth straight knockout win in the middleweight division since a loss to Anderson Silva in 2011. Those wins at 185 lbs. sandwich his loss to Jon Jones last fall in an impromptu Light Heavyweight Title fight, but they paint a clear picture: Belfort is the best middleweight in the world not named Anderson Silva.
Unfortunately, his presence at the top in 2013 is troubling because of three letter: TRT. Belfort's use of testosterone replacement therapy has been a major point of contention for fans, writers, and fighters, given he's previously tested positive for steroids. And the fact that the Nevada State Athletic Commission has said that past steroid failure is likely to mean he wouldn't get a TRT exemption from them makes it all the more maddening that his fights are happening in Brazil under dubious testing circumstances.
Add in the comments he made when asked about it on Saturday night, and the situation's becoming downright repugnant. This was Belfort's response when asked about TRT on Saturday at the post-fight press conference by two different reporters:
"Can somebody beat him up for me, please? Can somebody beat him up? You're boring man, you're boring. Get out of here... I'm not going to talk to you. Talk to my hand."
"Are you joking? You're joking, aren't you?"
He makes these comments and refuses to discuss TRT while at the same time spouting off about how he's getting better with age. When he says he's "just like a French wine: the older, the better", the reaction from many is, "well, yeah, because you're unnaturally enhanced."
TRT may not be the most effective performance enhancer, but allowing a 36-year-old to train longer and recover faster is, by definition, performance enhancing. That's where the benefits of TRT come in. It's not necessarily going to make Belfort a 'roided up version of himself, but it is absolutely something that has an effect during training.
As Luke Rockhold said after the fight, TRT didn't make that kick land. Belfort's skill set in general isn't improved by TRT usage, but what skills he already possesses may be enhanced by it. And that's a big issue here, especially because he tries to deflect questions on it, especially because he's looking in better shape now than he has been in the past, and especially because he's kept himself atop the sport at this age.
It's an issue that absolutely clouds his ascension back to title contention, because it's perceived by many to be him getting another dubious advantage. And because he's been so repentant about it, he's seen as the villain here.
Of course, he's just the most recent in a string of high-profile fighters to be outed as a TRT user, and it's made all the more discomforting in the way he's winning fights. And his past failed steroid test again brings a more negative perception of him over a fighter like Dan Henderson, who as well has had a career resurgence in his TRT years.
Belfort may very well get another fight with Anderson Silva, and given the power we've seen from him at middleweight he just might capture that UFC Middleweight Championship if he does. But his rise has been preemptively tainted, and if he's allowed to continue fighting outside of the U.S. with lax testing and questionable standards for his exemption, that's only going to get worse.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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