RIO DE JANEIRO — Vitor Belfort revealed that two concussions suffered in training forced him out of a boxing clash with Wanderlei Silva on Sept. 27 in Sao Paulo, but Silva’s longtime coach Andre Dida doesn’t buy his excuses.
Belfort was replaced by former boxing world champion Acelino Freitas in the main event of Spaten Fight Night 2, and Dida told MMA Fighting after an open workout session Sunday in Rio de Janeiro that he would like to see evidence of the damage.
“If you take any fighter 20 days before
competition and have him undergo a bunch of exams, you’ll notice he’s sparring, something will show up — a shoulder inflammation, small injuries to the hand, there’s always something,” Dida said. “It’s hard for a fighter to fight at his 100 percent. In my opinion, Vitor had to present a medical report, more exams. Not just [say], ‘the doctor said this and that.’ It’s too behind the curtain, right?
“I work with high-level UFC fighters and when something happens you have to send all the exams to the promotion,” he continued. “And show it to the fans. ‘Look, here’s the injury.’ Post it on Instagram. Make people feel your pain. Vitor hasn’t made anyone feel his pain so it’s all too dubious. I think Vitor should come out and clarify things for his fans because I don’t believe what was posted. I think he really chickened out, he quit. And it’s not a good look for him. .. I think Vitor didn’t want it as bad as Wanderlei.”
Brazilian neurosurgeon Dr. Jorge Pagura was quoted on a press release sent by Spaten Fight Night on Sept. 4, after news broke of Belfort’s withdrawal, stating that the veteran fighter “developed a concussion during training, with significant symptoms during the last episode, associated with abnormalities in his imaging studies. Due to the incident, there is no estimate for his return in time to participate in the fight on Sept. 27.”
Silva, who questioned Belfort’s hand injury when “The Phenom” was forced off their UFC 147 rematch back in 2012, says his rival needs to work on his confidence after another fight cancellation. They met for the first time under the UFC banner in 1998, and Belfort won by knockout in just 44 seconds.
“He needs to do what he’s always talking about,” Silva said on a press conference Sunday. “He’s always talking about strength, perseverance, optimism, and then does that. That shows how important is the mental part for the athlete. An athlete needs to be confident, to believe in himself. He must know what he can do. He should stand in front of the mirror and say, ‘I’m a lion! I’m a lion!’ Anything, right? Hire a psychologist, do therapy, right? But this fight is scheduled for next year. Like I said I would be here on the 27, I’m here. I’ll be here next time, too. And that time, I hope he doesn’t run.”
His coach agrees and Dida believes Belfort only comes out looking worse after this latest fight cancellation.
“I’m friends with Wanderlei for a long time,” Dida said, “I know how much he wanted to run that back and say, ‘You know that one was luck and your luck is over. I’m here to show I’m better than you.’ This is not the first time Vitor is out of a fight with Wanderlei. There were others before, and now he’s out again. It’s not a good look for Vitor. Vitor has always talked about that win, but we all know how scared he was backstage before that fight. And now he had the fight in front of him and quit again.”
“Popó” Freitas, the replacement opponent, is a 41-2 professional boxer and one of the all-time great Brazilians in the sport. Dida said his plan is for Silva to beat Freitas on Saturday and give him a immediate rematch, then face Belfort in the future. However, Dida jokes that Belfort might never fight again after watching Silva go 2-0 against such an experienced boxer.
“It would not look good for him, but I believe Vitor wouldn’t let his fans down. We follow Vitor, he knows that,” Dida said. “It’s a super fair fight. Two MMA fighters, same age, they have a history, a rivalry. It’s the best scenario possible. Wanderlei would fight him in the streets, anywhere, with no training. Put a hat on the ground, deposit the money, and let’s fight. This is personal for Wanderlei.”
