UFC middleweight Michael Bisping suffered a crushing TKO loss to Vitor Belfort in Sao Paulo, Brazil last month. The Brit was caught by a Vitor head kick and finished off with punches to the head and body in the 2nd round. Following the fight there were some recent rumors about Belfort failing his post-fight drug test. UFC president Dana White quickly shot those rumors down, and it turned out Thiago Tavares was the one who tested positive for banned substances.
However, Belfort became the latest fighter to be granted a Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) exemption. Belfort had previously been suspended for 4-hydroxytestosterone, a banned substance, by the Nevada State AC back in 2006 when he fought in PRIDE. This time around, Vitor was given the exemption before the Bisping fight in Brazil, and Michael issued an official statement on his website regarding both the fight and the use of TRT:
Here’s what I’ve got to say:
As I said right after the fight, I lost because I made a mistake and Vitor took advantage of it. It sucks. I don’t like it, but that was the result. I lost. Bottom line.
Over the past couple years, and even right before the fight, I have made my views on TRT very, very clear. I don’t feel that I need to go into depth about it again right now. All I have to add, about this specific instance, is that it is very disappointing that someone who was caught cheating with testosterone in the past, now gets to use testosterone legally. A well known side effect of steroids is that it reduces testosterone, so I don’t understand how it would make sense to then grant someone an exemption to then increase testosterone.
All that being said, I am not here to make excuses or cry over spilled milk. I fight in the best organization in the world, The UFC, and am very excited to work and earn a title fight, the right way. That process starts by whooping Alan Belcher’s ass at UFC 159 on Saturday, April 27th, live on PPV.
Interestingly enough, Belfort is now the 3rd fighter Bisping has lost to who has been given a TRT exemption. Dan Henderson and Chael Sonnen are the other two fighters, and Bisping has lost to all of them.
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