Curly Howard
09-04-2004, 09:32 PM
http://www.tatame.com/ingles/
No date on this so I hope it's not too old
Vitor Belfort
By Alexandre Lobo
'I want another shot!'
After re-watching his third fight against Randy Couture at Ultimate Fighting Championship, Vitor Belfort has no doubt to say he was ****ed up. According to Belfort, Couture's head-butt would have been decisive to the American's victory. Besides open a huge cut over the Brazilian eye, Vitor says the incidental head-butt obliged him to change his plans. In an exclusive to TATAME.com, Vitor Belfort talks about what happened on his training camp in Big Bear during the days before the fight, explains his plans to defeat Randy Couture and protests saying UFC producers don't follow UFC rules.
What's up, Vitor... How are you right after the fight?
Man, I'm pissed off. I can't accept what happened inside that octagon. It's unbelievable! I suffered a huge head-butt and I was dizzy. I recovered myself, but I bleed a lot, falling blood inside my ear... In addition to the cut over my eye, that head-butt ruined all my strategy.
Why do you say this?
I intended to take advantage of our age difference (Randy is 41 and Vitor, 29). I wanted to make him get tired on the first three rounds to, then, make my game. And I was doing well, making him trying to take me down near the fence and spending power during the whole round. The only problem was at the end of the five minutes, but I didn't have much trouble. At the second round, that head-butt turned the things easier for him. He put me against the fence and spent the rest of the fight blowing on my cut.
You claim referee Big John McCarthy might interrupted the fight right after the head-butt...
Of course! I suffered a huge head-butt and the referee just stopped the combat long time after it. And when I was returning on to do my fight, the doctors decided I wasn't able to keep fighting. It's an absurd! If they wanted to stop it due to the cut, they had to do it still at the second round. Not during the break between the third and the forth ones, when I had recovered myself. It seemed they didn't want me winning the fight... Later, Big John came to me and said he hasn't figured out that the cut was due to he head-butt... No way a jab can do something like that on me!
A week before, Pride's producers stopped GP's final bout between Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira and Emelianenko Fedor due to an accidental head-butt, that opened a huge cut over the Russian's eye. Do you think UFC had to do the same?
Sure! It's on UFC rules. If a cut happens due to an accidental head-butt, the fight must be declared no contest. And they didn't do it. Though, UFC doesn't respect the rules as Pride does.
Anyway, I felt you very defensive during the fight, just stepping back and didn't throwing your blows, like you do usually. Didn't you respect Couture too much?
That was not the problem... I also had some difficulties during my last week of practice in Big Bear. My Muay Thai trainer caused a lot of trouble and this brought a bad energy to the team. During the fight, my corner was really a mess, with everyone saying different things at the same time. The more important now is to detect the mistakes and fix them.
And how about the future? During the press-conference after the show you said you return on December, against Tito (Ortiz). Don't you want another chance against Randy?
Right after the fight, UFC didn't give me a choice. Of course I want to face Couture again. I asked him for it after doctor's decision, but he said he faces who UFC want to. On the last time, when he asked me for another fight, I did it sooner. I wanna see if he'll do the same now! About Tito, I do want to face him, because I don't like his attitude.
No date on this so I hope it's not too old
Vitor Belfort
By Alexandre Lobo
'I want another shot!'
After re-watching his third fight against Randy Couture at Ultimate Fighting Championship, Vitor Belfort has no doubt to say he was ****ed up. According to Belfort, Couture's head-butt would have been decisive to the American's victory. Besides open a huge cut over the Brazilian eye, Vitor says the incidental head-butt obliged him to change his plans. In an exclusive to TATAME.com, Vitor Belfort talks about what happened on his training camp in Big Bear during the days before the fight, explains his plans to defeat Randy Couture and protests saying UFC producers don't follow UFC rules.
What's up, Vitor... How are you right after the fight?
Man, I'm pissed off. I can't accept what happened inside that octagon. It's unbelievable! I suffered a huge head-butt and I was dizzy. I recovered myself, but I bleed a lot, falling blood inside my ear... In addition to the cut over my eye, that head-butt ruined all my strategy.
Why do you say this?
I intended to take advantage of our age difference (Randy is 41 and Vitor, 29). I wanted to make him get tired on the first three rounds to, then, make my game. And I was doing well, making him trying to take me down near the fence and spending power during the whole round. The only problem was at the end of the five minutes, but I didn't have much trouble. At the second round, that head-butt turned the things easier for him. He put me against the fence and spent the rest of the fight blowing on my cut.
You claim referee Big John McCarthy might interrupted the fight right after the head-butt...
Of course! I suffered a huge head-butt and the referee just stopped the combat long time after it. And when I was returning on to do my fight, the doctors decided I wasn't able to keep fighting. It's an absurd! If they wanted to stop it due to the cut, they had to do it still at the second round. Not during the break between the third and the forth ones, when I had recovered myself. It seemed they didn't want me winning the fight... Later, Big John came to me and said he hasn't figured out that the cut was due to he head-butt... No way a jab can do something like that on me!
A week before, Pride's producers stopped GP's final bout between Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira and Emelianenko Fedor due to an accidental head-butt, that opened a huge cut over the Russian's eye. Do you think UFC had to do the same?
Sure! It's on UFC rules. If a cut happens due to an accidental head-butt, the fight must be declared no contest. And they didn't do it. Though, UFC doesn't respect the rules as Pride does.
Anyway, I felt you very defensive during the fight, just stepping back and didn't throwing your blows, like you do usually. Didn't you respect Couture too much?
That was not the problem... I also had some difficulties during my last week of practice in Big Bear. My Muay Thai trainer caused a lot of trouble and this brought a bad energy to the team. During the fight, my corner was really a mess, with everyone saying different things at the same time. The more important now is to detect the mistakes and fix them.
And how about the future? During the press-conference after the show you said you return on December, against Tito (Ortiz). Don't you want another chance against Randy?
Right after the fight, UFC didn't give me a choice. Of course I want to face Couture again. I asked him for it after doctor's decision, but he said he faces who UFC want to. On the last time, when he asked me for another fight, I did it sooner. I wanna see if he'll do the same now! About Tito, I do want to face him, because I don't like his attitude.