Former Ultimate Fighting Championship champ Vitor
Belfort has a bone to pick with Youtuber-turned-boxer Jake
Paul.
On Wednesday, right after his boxing match with Hasim Rahman Jr.
(12-1, 6 KOs)
was announced, Vitor
Belfort (1-0, 1 KO) spoke to Sherdog about his preparation to
face the far younger Rahman Jr. In his interview, he was not afraid
to mince words about Paul (5-0, 4 KOs), accusing the 25-year-old of
“running” from him.
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“My agent was talking Jake’s agent, but the fact is that they were
choosing good fights for him,” Belfort admitted. “He didn’t want to
fight Hasim Jr. because of his weight; he canceled the fight with
Tommy Fury, which we don’t know exactly the reason for. Later, we
started to talk, but he put a lot of problems and demands. And I
just saw yesterday that he chose Anderson
Silva.”
Belfort believed that his knockout power was probably the reason
for Paul to select Silva instead of Belfort as his next adversary.
Although the match was an exhibition, Belfort obliterated Evander
Holyfield in September 2021 in the first round. Silva’s own return
to the boxing ring has seen him claim a decision over Julio Cesar
Chavez Jr. while sparking Tito Ortiz in
82 seconds. “The Spider” then topped Bruno
Machado on the scorecards in May, after dropping Machado in the
fifth frame.
“I could see he is really afraid to face fast and explosive
opponents with knockout power,” Belfort noted. “He rather faces
slower fighters, where his chances to reach the end of the fight
are bigger. He is aware that if he is not finished by Anderson,
that will mean a great win for him, but I think Anderson will beat
him.”
The ex-UFC great is stepping into the ring again on Oct. 15, where
he will take center stage at the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield,
England. Belfort and Rahman Jr. will be headlining the fight card
on Dazn, which is tentatively titled “MF & DAZN: X Series 002.” A
pair of YouTubers named Jay Swingler and Cherdleys will square off
in the co-main event.
“Hasim Jr. showed up and we closed the deal,” the former UFC champ
stated. “I think it’s a great challenge. A well-ranked heavyweight
much younger than I, but I’m [motivated] by challenges.”
Belfort is aware that he will be the smaller fighter in the ring,
with Rahman the taller man while celebrating a five-inch reach
advantage. Despite this, Belfort plans on neutralizing the over
two-meter wingspan of Rahman Jr.
“My challenge will be to fight inside him. He is a dangerous
southpaw who changes stances a lot, and has a very strong jab and
straight punch,” Belfort analyzed.
While Belfort is now preparing to face a legitimate heavyweight
boxer, he is not too busy to respond to criticism. Four-time boxing
champ and potential opponent Acelino “Popo” Freitas knocked Belfort
for dismantling Holyfield as fast as he did. According to Freitas,
Belfort should have put on a longer show for the fans. Belfort did
not appreciate what “Popo” had to say, and he provided a thorough
response.
“’Popo’ is turning into the Brazilian Chael
Sonnen,” Belfort remarked. “First, he challenged [Jose] Aldo,
later Wanderlei [Silva] and myself. I accepted his challenge, but
he [ran].”
Belfort continued, “I was not fighting a Youtuber like he did, I
was fighting a heavyweight boxing legend on his field, and let’s
recall the whole history. I was ready to face [Oscar] De La Hoya,
he got Covid and the organization substituted him for Holyfield.
[Holyfield] was 12 years older, but much heavier, and I was
fighting on his rules…and the biggest proof of that is that the
[betting] odds before the fight [listed me as] a huge underdog.
After the fight, I started to [become] the villain who beat the
ancient [man]?”
No matter the age of Holyfield, Belfort concluded by giving props
to Holyfield. Before he knocked out the boxing legend, Holyfield
landed cleanly on him and shook him up. It was then that Belfort
knew he had to spring into action lest he get put away by the older
boxer.
“Right in the very beginning, he used some boxing moves to confuse
me and hit me hard,” “The Phenom” explained. “In [that] sequence, I
caught him. People must understand that we are in the fighting
business, we are not doing pro wrestling, we are paid for fighting
not to ‘make shows.’ If the guy pays a ticket to see my fight, I’m
not going to play.”