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Former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort has already made an adjustment to the callout he made just a couple of weeks ago. Having recently defeated Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza in a boxing match, the ‘Phenom’ took the opportunity to let YouTuber-turned-boxing-sensation Jake Paul know that he would be love to meet him inside the ring.
“I should’ve fought Roy Jones Jr. in the main event, not Pettis. It was supposed to be two legendary guys, but they put Pettis there,” Belfort complained. “Now I have an offer for Gamebred. Let’s go to Florida. I was hoping to face Roy, but Pettis won. So let’s make that fight in Florida. Me and Pettis. No excuses,”
“If not Pettis, bring on Jake Paul. He’s coming off a loss, I’ll take him. I can fight Jake Paul and become his dad.” Vitor said after his win over Jacare.
Vitor Belfort calls out Logan Paul instead
However, after a boxing match between Jake Paul and UFC veteran Nate Diaz was announced for the summer of 2023, Belfort quickly adapted his discourse to make a bid for the older Paul brother, Logan. To make it a proper celebrity boxing call-out, Vitor took to social media on his official Instagram account to try and get Logan’s attention.
In his stories, the Brazilian tagged UFC president Dana White and suggested a co-main event spot on the same card where Nate Diaz is set to face Jake. MMA news outlet Ag Fight transcribed the post before it disappeared.
“Dana White, tell your boy to man up and fight me. Let’s do the co-main event for the fight between Nate Diaz and your brother Jake. The winner of that fight takes the winner of our fight. Go get ready and fight me. I promise I won’t hurt you.”
Vitor Belfort has been calling out the Paul brothers since 2021
Amid the chaos, it’s worth noting that back in 2021, when Jake Paul was only 3-0 as a professional boxer, Belfort taunted both brothers, telling MMA Fighting he could beat the two former Disney kids at the same time. In the interview, Vitor mentioned that the internet celebrities had already been avoiding him for years.
“I’m telling you, you put these two brothers with me, I will fight both guys in the same night,” Belfort told MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin in a recent interview. “You come, you get tired, comes the other brother next round, I’ll beat the crap out of these two brothers like that. Like that. They know that. They don’t want to do it. They’re afraid.
“A lot of guys avoid me, especially these YouTuber brothers [Logan and Jake Paul], they’ve been avoiding me for years and they’re looking for easy fights, easy money,” Belfort said. “They’re lucky cause I’ll rip their head off. This guy came and accepted and I said let’s go.”
Vitor Belfort’s return to boxing has been a success
Ever since Vitor Belfort (26-14-1 NC) retired from MMA, following a knockout loss to Lyoto Machida in May 2018, the 46-year-old has found some surprising success in the boxing ring. In a 2021 exhibition bout, the Phenom scored a depressingly predictable TKO win over then 59-year-old heavyweight legend Evander Holyfield. Vitor Belfort followed that victory up with a unanimous decision over Jacare, on April 1 of this year.
In his 22-year MMA career, Belfort became known for his fast hands and knockout power. Over that time, he faced some of the most notable names of his generation, scoring wins against Wanderlei Silva, Randy Couture, Luke Rockhold, Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson, just to name a few.
Though he did not win those bouts, Vitor also shared the ring or cage with other MMA legends in Anderson Silva, Alistair Overeem, Jon Jones and Kazushi Sakuraba.
Jake Paul is facing Nate Diaz in August
Logan Paul (0-1) rose to fame as a boxer when he fought top boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an exhibition match, back in June 2021, which ended without a winner—as neither man could finish the fight. In his professional debut, the 28-year-old suffered a split decision loss to fellow Youtuber Olajide Olayinka Williams “JJ” Olatunji, better known as ‘KSI’, in November 2019.
Meanwhile, Jake Paul (6-1) garnered attention as a boxer when he started scoring wins over former MMA fighter Ben Askren and former UFC champions Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva. Most recently, however, the 26-year-old suffered his first ever professional defeat when he dropped a split decision to Tommy Fury, in February 2023.
Jake Paul is expected to take on UFC veteran Nate Diaz on August 5. The match is expected to take place in Dallas, Texas.
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