Vitor Belforts knä var svårt skadat i mötet med Lyoto Machida

Den tidigare UFC-mästaren Vitor Belfort skadade sitt knä allvarligt inför förra helgens match mot Lyoto Machida där veteranen förlorade genom knockout.

Den brasilianska sidan Combate rapporterar att doktorerna rekommenderat Belfort att dra sig ur matchen. Han ignorerade dock deras råd och fullföljde matchen som mycket väl kan ha varit hans avskedsmatch.

Belfort gick även själv ut via Instagram för att berätta om hur han skadade knät under träningslägret inför galan. Ni kan se hans meddelande nedan:

With the intention to be as honest as I can be with my fans and specially with my opponent, I will go straight to the point. The injured that happened with me during the training camp somehow made the news. My team nor I had mentioned before, during or after the fight. Winning or losing, fighting injured or not; it is part of an athlete’s life. I’m not the first one nor will be the last one athlete to fight injured. Even though all the limitations imposed to me because of the injured I suffered. It is my decision to step into the octagon or not. And I decided to do it! I did not want to miss the chance to have my last fight at the UFC; in my country, my hometown and with a such respected opponent. I gave my best on the fight and my opponent was the better man that night. And this is what counts! Nothing that happened with me during the training camp takes anything away from his victory. Of course wasn’t the outcome I wished for. Not because of the defeat, because we can’t control the outcome. What bothers me is knowing that I performed bellow of what I know that I can. I literally grew up in the cage, I was wrought to be a fighter, to leave it all in the cage… and this teachings I brought to all the aspects of my life. Dedicated every minute, every second doing the best you can in whatever you’re committed to. To the ones genuinely concerned with me, I will tell you this: I feel like an injured Lion. To the haters and envious, I will tell you this: I might be injured, BUT I’M STILL A LION! See you all very soon…

Ett inlägg delat av Vitor ”The Phenom” Belfort (@vitorbelfort) 17 Maj 2018 kl. 1:11 PDT

Enligt MMA Junkie valde Belfort att inte ge några som helst detaljer om skadan till det brasilianska atletiska rådet som övervakade hans förberedelser inför och under galan.  CABMMA, som är rådets förkortning, uttalade sig med följande:

In the physical exam, where such injury should be communicated and/or identified by the physician who evaluated him, it had no information related to it. In the pre-fight medical held at the weigh-ins, he again did not mention, complain nor disclose such injury to the commission’s physician and, therefore, was cleared for the fight.