Former Ultimate Fighting Championship champ Vitor Belfort has a bone to pick with Youtuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
On Wednesday, right after his boxing match with Hasim Rahman Jr. (12-1, 6 KOs) was announced, Vitor Belfort (1-0, 1 KO) spoke to Sherdog about his preparation to face the far younger Rahman Jr. In his interview, he was not afraid to mince words about Paul (5-0, 4 KOs), accusing the 25-year-old of “running” from him.
“My agent was talking Jake’s agent, but the fact is that they were choosing good fights for him,” Belfort admitted. “He didn’t want to fight Hasim Jr. because of his weight; he canceled the fight with Tommy Fury, which we don’t know exactly the reason for. Later, we started to talk, but he put a lot of problems and demands. And I just saw yesterday that he chose Anderson Silva.”
Belfort believed that his knockout power was probably the reason for Paul to select Silva instead of Belfort as his next adversary. Although the match was an exhibition, Belfort obliterated Evander Holyfield in September 2021 in the first round. Silva's own return to the boxing ring has seen him claim a decision over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. while sparking Tito Ortiz in 82 seconds. "The Spider" then topped Bruno Machado on the scorecards in May, after dropping Machado in the fifth frame.
“I could see he is really afraid to face fast and explosive opponents with knockout power,” Belfort noted. “He rather faces slower fighters, where his chances to reach the end of the fight are bigger. He is aware that if he is not finished by Anderson, that will mean a great win for him, but I think Anderson will beat him.”
The ex-UFC great is stepping into the ring again on Oct. 15, where he will take center stage at the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England. Belfort and Rahman Jr. will be headlining the fight card on Dazn, which is tentatively titled “MF & DAZN: X Series 002.” A pair of YouTubers named Jay Swingler and Cherdleys will square off in the co-main event.
“Hasim Jr. showed up and we closed the deal,” the former UFC champ stated. “I think it’s a great challenge. A well-ranked heavyweight much younger than I, but I’m [motivated] by challenges.”
Belfort is aware that he will be the smaller fighter in the ring, with Rahman the taller man while celebrating a five-inch reach advantage. Despite this, Belfort plans on neutralizing the over two-meter wingspan of Rahman Jr.
“My challenge will be to fight inside him. He is a dangerous southpaw who changes stances a lot, and has a very strong jab and straight punch,” Belfort analyzed.
While Belfort is now preparing to face a legitimate heavyweight boxer, he is not too busy to respond to criticism. Four-time boxing champ and potential opponent Acelino “Popo” Freitas knocked Belfort for dismantling Holyfield as fast as he did. According to Freitas, Belfort should have put on a longer show for the fans. Belfort did not appreciate what “Popo” had to say, and he provided a thorough response.
“’Popo’ is turning into the Brazilian Chael Sonnen,” Belfort remarked. “First, he challenged [Jose] Aldo, later Wanderlei [Silva] and myself. I accepted his challenge, but he [ran].”
Belfort continued, “I was not fighting a Youtuber like he did, I was fighting a heavyweight boxing legend on his field, and let’s recall the whole history. I was ready to face [Oscar] De La Hoya, he got Covid and the organization substituted him for Holyfield. [Holyfield] was 12 years older, but much heavier, and I was fighting on his rules…and the biggest proof of that is that the [betting] odds before the fight [listed me as] a huge underdog. After the fight, I started to [become] the villain who beat the ancient [man]?”
No matter the age of Holyfield, Belfort concluded by giving props to Holyfield. Before he knocked out the boxing legend, Holyfield landed cleanly on him and shook him up. It was then that Belfort knew he had to spring into action lest he get put away by the older boxer.
“Right in the very beginning, he used some boxing moves to confuse me and hit me hard,” “The Phenom” explained. “In [that] sequence, I caught him. People must understand that we are in the fighting business, we are not doing pro wrestling, we are paid for fighting not to ‘make shows.’ If the guy pays a ticket to see my fight, I’m not going to play.”
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