Vitor Belfort Still Planning on Retirement After UFC 224

Vitor Belfort spoke with MMAjunkie ahead of his retirement fight with Lyoto Machida at UFC 224. Highlights are below:

On losing out on his payday when his fight with Uriah Hall was cancelled: “The first pain was in my pocket. That’s what hurt the most, not getting anything and having invested so much. And not having finished the thing that I had set out to do. It was frustrating for all of us…What have we learned from this? So many things. Now all that’s left is looking forward. The fight is here. It’s a great opponent. In a way, things were even better. God was so good to me that they gave me a better opponent. A better location. That’s what life is made of: using the stones in our way to help shape our way.”

On keeping to his vow that he’ll retiure after this: “It’s what I said: in reality, it will be my final fight and my journey is ending. But nothing that a good contract – what, seven digits? – can’t do in terms of helping us return. I’ll keep training. I love doing this. But there needs to be a meaning. There needs to be a purpose and it needs to be something that makes sense.”

On possibly working with the UFC in other ways: “If, after this, I can sit own with UFC President Dana White and the new owners – if they have something to offer and they can hear me and we can come to an agreement, it will be great.”

On his issues with Michael Bisping: “He’s a coward. That Englishman is a coward. I’d never seen a coward Englishman before. He took a blow, got stunned, and he has his lame excuses, you know. Leave him with his arrogance over there in England.”

On his training for the fight: “In reality, I never stop. I’m always sticking to my routine. I train, I have Belfort Lifestyle Fitness now. I’m always active – always on the move.”