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Criticize UFC pay & get booked as a heel against a top steroider on enemy turf
By Zach Arnold | July 26, 2013
Tim Kennedy says he’ll be happy to fight Vitor Belfort… as long as it’s in a state like California. Why? This is why:
“Listen, I am 33 years old,” he said. “I have been jumping out of planes, shot at, exploded, blown up for 10 years. I’ve been punched in the head for 15 years. If anybody’s going to have an excuse to use testosterone, it would be me. I do not need testosterone. My level of testosterone is like twice that of an average dude. So guess what I haven’t done? Steroids in the past. Oh man, there it is.
“It is complete horses–t that these guys are using testosterone. It’s cheating.”
Well, Dana White has a gift for Vitor Belfort. I guess somebody needs to be the Strikeforce Killer. Doesn’t have the same ring as the Gracie Hunter, but I suppose it pays well.
First thought: Why? “@guicruzzz: Dana White told @arielhelwani he's working on Vitor Belfort vs. Tim Kennedy in Brazil. Thoughts?”
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) July 27, 2013
In a quest to kill two birds with one stone, the UFC is considering a fight between top testosterone user Vitor Belfort and emasculated UFC pay scale criticizer Tim Kennedy. Only in the world of UFC could someone with honorable military service to his country be viewed as the bad guy… unless you’re WWE and you turn Sgt. Slaughter heel during the first Iraq war.
According to the UFC rankings, Vitor is #2 at MW. Tim Kennedy is unranked. Makes perfect sense. Right?
— FrontRowBrian (@FrontRowBrian) July 27, 2013
Lots of people are questioning why this fight may take place. The simple answer? Here’s one part of the rationale.
Vitor Belfort vs Tim Kennedy in Brazil.. Yeah, so, don't talk shit about fighter pay whilst you're in the UFC is the message being sent.
— Ashley Christie (@MMANotions) July 27, 2013
For the UFC, it’s a win-win scenario. Keep pushing & protecting a top testosterone user in the company, especially since he’s right in the Middleweight title picture with the chaos surrounding the Anderson Silva loss. Protect him by keeping Vitor in Brazil where the steroids can flow freely. Push him against a fighter who embarassed UFC management with a takedown of fighter pay and has also been an outspoken critic of testosterone usage by fighters in the organization.
Kill two birds with one stone. And make the military guy a heel, to boot. Right on cue, here’s Tim Miller with the testosterone defense for Vitor:
I’m sure Kennedy will have something to say leading up to the fight. Maybe he’ll complain about not getting hazard pay when facing an opponent on TRT.
The other thing, TRT does not make you a better athlete. It does not make you a superhuman, and if you’re 35 years old, it doesn’t make your body 25 yrs old again. I actually had a chance to speak with a doctor here in San Antonio. Doctor Robert Yerrington. His son, Jason owns Ohana Jiu Jitsu and is my MMA coach. Jason has coached many fighters and fight teams both pro and amateur for local promotions.
Of course testosterone is a performance-enhancer — if it didn’t enhance your performance, nobody would be taking it. It doesn’t matter if you look like Vitor Belfort or if you look like Bartolo Colon, there’s a reason guys are users of anabolic steroids. It also helps with recovery from injuries suffered during both training and fights. To deny that testosterone usage has no benefits is simply putting the blinders on.
Meanwhile, Dana White & Pete Carroll entertained a session of the Mutual Admiration Society in Seattle.
@danawhite great meeting you Dana! we have much respect for your guys!
— Pete Carroll (@PeteCarroll) July 27, 2013
Both men know a thing of two about having a roster full of suspended drug users.
Topics: Brazil, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 15 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
So Tim Kennedy criticizes UFC and puts on a snoozefest on a PPV and in his next fight is getting booked in what will likely be a headlining fight against a big draw, and you spin this that he’s being punished?
Most guys who fight like Kennedy in his last fight get dropped down to the Facebook prelims and he gets upgraded to a main event.
This is a pretty blatant attempt at stretching for a story. Vitor is huge in Brazil so they book him in Brazil and you spin that into UFC IS PROTECTING HIM!
Yeah, they’re protecting GSP by booking him in Canada, Bisping in the UK and every Japanese fighter in Japan, too? Come on.
Since you consider Kennedy main eventing in Brazil a punishment, what article would you write if he was on the undercard in Ohio?
Also, I guess it’s telling of your opinion of Kennedy’s skill that you consider him fighting Belfort a fight he’ll obviously lose and a punishment. I’m sure Kennedy is hating the prospect of having a win over a top 5 opponent in a division aching for new contenders.
Yea, might as well not mention the part about US commissions saying they wouldn’t allow Vitor to use TRT and fight.
Makes 200 words of bullshit look a bit better.
I haven’t seen a single US commission say they won’t allow Vitor a TRT exemption. To the best of my knowledge, Keith Kizer is the only commissioner guy who has commented on Vitor’s exemption, and even he didn’t rule it out completely. He made it seem very unlikely that Vitor would get an exemption in Nevada, but he left himself some wiggle room.
Even if Nevada does reject him, there are still 49 other states. I doubt Texas, Florida, Michigan, or any one of the ‘rogue’ commissions would have a problem with giving Vitor an exemption.
Didn’t California recently announce they would not issue any TRT exemptions at all given the legal uncertainty regarding standards?
California is currently off the testosterone list… for the time being.
Agreed.
Booking a guy in a main event against one of the biggest stars in his division is HUGE opportunity, not a punishment. Tim Kennedy is probably ecstatic.
That premise works if you believe Tim Kennedy is winning that fight… and not many people believe that to be the outcome.
Oh well — have to laugh at Vitor’s manager saying he’ll only take the fight at a catch-weight.
People forget that Vitor doesn’t deal well with grinding wrestlers who refuse to stay in kickboxing/boxing range. He looks awesome against guys who stand in front of him and kickbox, but gets frustrated when they won’t stand-and-trade with him. I could easily see Kennedy turning the fight into an ugly clinch wrestling cardio battle and breaking Vitor’s will.
I don’t think the UFC is trying to hide Vitor Belfort from the commissions at all. Dan Henderson just got denied a TRT exemption and the UFC didn’t blink an eye.
This is an issue of the UFC trying to build up the Brazilian market and they only have so many guys who can main event over there. They are:
1. Anderson Silva
2. Vitor Belfort
3. Jose Aldo
4. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Anderson Silva can bring in more money in the the US, so he won’t be main eventing in Brazil for a while. This leaves the UFC with 3 draws and 7 events to hold in 2013.
Heck, they are headlining Teixeira vs. Bader in Brazil this year, which is not a strong headliner.
Vitor turns down the fight.
From Fightline.com:
“Vitor Belfort is standing his ground.
After impressive wins over Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold already this year, Belfort is only going to take a middleweight bout if it is for the title.
Recently, Tim Kennedy stated that he would be facing “The Phenom” in Brazil, likely in October. Belfort’s wife and manager, though, told Combate.com that he would not be taking the fight.
Joana Prado stated that Belfort would take any bout, from “Tim Kennedy to Roy Nelson,” but only at catch-weights.
“Vitor wants to fight, but in his category only if the title fight,” she added.”
I want to see Dana White vs Sergio Batarelli.
You know, a promoter vs promoter matchup.
Fireworks!
Tim has twice the normal testosterone? well thats cheating in my book, and moaning about being blown up and exploded? …poor baby, I have no respect or sympathy for anyone in the military/global debt collector. They are particularly disgusting when they claim they are protecting america.
They are attacking other countries in a purely fascist manner and taking a paycheck that is all.
Really dude? How stupid are you really? What a shameful and disgusting post….
Vitor has a chance vs Weidman and so does Chael, and also Jacare. Think Jacare is a dark horse at 185. His BJJ is off the charts, best at 185.