The Savage Truth: Henderson-Belfort 3, Sans TRT
Belfort and Henderson have met before, but under different
circumstances. | Photo: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com
Editor's note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.
The fourth quarter of the 2015 UFC schedule is full of superstars and amazing fights, with Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor lighting up the marquees for UFC 193 and UFC 194, respectively.
Advertisement
Their first bout came in 2006 under the Pride FC banner, and the Nevada Athletic Commission ended up flagging Belfort for elevated testosterone after losing a decision in the light heavyweight contest. Henderson would again face off with the Brazilian during the midst of Belfort’s amazing renaissance in 2013. The fight went down in Brazil, and Henderson was promptly removed from consciousness by a head kick just 77 seconds into the scrap. That was the first time Henderson had been knocked out in 40 professional mixed martial arts fights.
Both fighters were on TRT for the second fight. Henderson started
therapy in 2007 after blood tests showed he had low levels of
testosterone. He has maintained that his use was always on the
up-and-up, approved by commissions wherever he fought. Henderson
has never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs
throughout his long amateur wrestling or MMA careers.
Belfort, on the other hand, had the positive test in 2006, as well as a 2014 out-of-competition test conducted by the NAC in the lead-up to what was a scheduled middleweight championship match with titleholder Chris Weidman. Also, Deadspin.com recently reported another test that showed questionable testosterone levels in the weeks leading up to his light heavyweight championship fight with Jon Jones in 2012.
Belfort recently stated that he was undergoing TRT at the time and the UFC was aware of his situation. The company has not publicly commented on the test data or the story.
What we do know is that Belfort and Henderson are no longer legally allowed to inject testosterone to supplement the naturally occurring hormones in their bodies. That is not a trivial matter for either of these aging fighters. Henderson recently turned 45 and has gone 2-5 in his last seven bouts.
Belfort is 38 years old and has gone on the record stating that he wishes he were still allowed to receive TRT. It isn’t hard to see why after the run he went on in 2013 that included wins over longtime contender Michael Bisping, current middleweight challenger Luke Rockhold and Henderson. All three opponents were knocked out via head kick.
Things didn’t go quite as well for Belfort in his first bout since stopping TRT, when Weidman stopped him in a middleweight championship contest last May. The pre-fight buildup culminated with the champion vocally questioning why the older Belfort, a fighter that had stated he needed TRT in the past to maintain his testosterone level, had a higher T-level than his younger opponent.
So, that’s all the stuff this fight has going for it.
It makes sense that Henderson wanted a rematch with a fighter he believes beat him because Belfort was abusing the very same therapy he was on. As a promoter, it is hard to imagine the pre-fight hype focusing on any other aspect of this soon-to-be trilogy.
Fairly or unfairly, it’s bound to come up each and every time Belfort competes from here on out. While there were a substantial number of fighters who took advantage of the TRT loophole, Belfort has become the poster boy for what was surely one of the most bizarre eras in mixed martial arts.
It has to be frustrating for Belfort to know that anything he does for the remainder of his career, good or bad, will be attributed to use of PEDs, or lack thereof. It’s also tough to feel too sorry for “The Phenom,” given that it is a condition of his own making.
Greg Savage is the executive editor of Sherdog.com and can be reached by email or via Twitter @TheSavageTruth.
Related Articles
