UFC’s Weidman ‘happy’ to fight in Vegas, hopes NSAC does ‘due diligence’ to test Vitor Belfort

Chris Weidman barely had time to celebrate the first defense of his title, and already there was controversy lurking just around the corner.

As it was, it was a little hard to be overly jubilant, given the way things ended against Anderson Silva.

Weidman, meeting Silva for the second straight time this past Saturday at UFC 168 in Las Vegas, put together a dominant first round against the former middleweight kingpin. Then in the second, he checked a couple of Silva leg kicks – and the second one left millions of MMA fans around the world stunned.

Silva’s left leg snapped. He fell to the canvas, screaming in pain. Weidman had his hand raised – though not the way he ever envisioned, and not how he wanted. And before Silva was even under the knife, the topic had turned to Weidman’s next title defense against Vitor Belfort – and where that fight would take place.

On Thursday night, the middleweight champ got his answer. It’ll be in Las Vegas. He won’t have to make the trek to Brazil – Belfort’s home country, where he has fought in main events for his three straight “Knockout of the Night” victories.

Weidman on Friday told MMAjunkie the UFC’s decision to let him defend his belt at home and not in South America sits just fine with him. And he did not at all shy away from the primary reason he wants Belfort fighting in the States – Belfort’s therapeutic-use exemptions for testosterone-replacement therapy, which have been granted in Brazil but now will have to go through the Nevada State Athletic Commission, where Belfort has a 2006 failed test on his resume.

“I’m happy about (fighting in Las Vegas),” Weidman said. “He’s fought in Brazil now for the last two years, and obviously he looks like the Hulk now. He’s on TRT and he’s been caught cheating before for testosterone and I don’t know what else. … For a guy who’s 36 years old to have a lot higher testosterone than me at 29 years old, and I’ve never taken anything, is really not fair. So I’m happy that I’ll be fighting in Vegas, and I hope they’ll do due diligence in testing him to make sure he’s not cheating.”

The NSAC has licensed fighters previously who have TUEs for synthetic testosterone. As of now, with a TUE for it, as long as a fighter’s levels fall within the allowable limits, TRT is legal. The UFC says it tests fighters with TUEs throughout their camps to make sure their limits are within the normal range during their camps, as well.

But that may not be enough for Weidman. If given a vote, he’d do away with TRT use altogether.

“I’m not a big TRT guy – I don’t think TRT belongs in our sport,” he said. “I don’t like it. I don’t have the highest testosterone in the world, and I wouldn’t take it. I feel just fine where I’m at. Some people would probably tell me to take testosterone, but I wouldn’t do it.”

Another thing that would’ve been interesting if he had a vote would have been his fight against Belfort had the UFC told him it was going to take place in Brazil. Critics of Belfort headlining three straight cards in Brazil have said that the UFC is hiding him there to avoid stiffer testing in the States. The UFC has countered those claims, though, by saying it’s just been smart business to put Belfort, a national sporting treasure in Brazil, at the top of cards in his home country.

But Weidman knew one thing, and that’s that he wouldn’t have been keen on just sucking it up and dealing with it if he would have been asked to defend his belt on Belfort’s home turf.

“It would’ve been a discussion, for sure,” he said. “I wouldn’t have have just taken it on the chin and said, ‘OK, let’s do it.’ I would’ve had a discussion.”

There hasn’t been much need to discuss whether or not Belfort is the right challenger for him now, though. UFC President Dana White was fairly adamant about it before Weidman’s rematch with Silva at UFC 168, and Belfort was at the post-event news conference, sitting amongst the media, to somewhat formally accept the title fight.

Belfort’s three straight knockout wins, all stemming from head kicks, have come against a murderer’s row of opposition: Michael Bisping, then former Strikeforce champ Luke Rockhold, then, in November, former PRIDE champ Dan Henderson. Each has been a little more convincing than the one before it.

TRT or not, Weidman admits Belfort should be next.

“I think he’s the right guy. It’s whoever the UFC thinks is the contender. He’s had three knockouts in a row, so I think he’s the right guy,” he said.

UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta said Thursday he is hopeful the Weidman-Belfort fight will take place in Las Vegas either for the promotion’s Memorial Day weekend show in May, or for its regular Independence Day weekend show in July.

Weidman said he feels 100 percent after his win over Silva, despite reports of a knee injury in camp. He plans to get checked out by a doctor, but he’d prefer to get Belfort out of the way at his earliest convenience.

“If I had a preference – I want to talk to Dana and Lorenzo about it – but just thinking on my own right now, I’d say May,” Weidman said. “I want to enjoy my summer – get a nice ‘W’ and hang out with the family in the summer and enjoy the new pool in the backyard.”

For the latest on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site. And for complete coverage of UFC 168, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of MMAjunkie.