Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor Belfort is set to retire this May after facing another former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion in Lyoto Machida at UFC 224.
Michael Bisping is a former UFC Middleweight Champion who recently turned down a fight with Belfort, which has led to Belfort calling the British slugger a coward.
“He’s a coward,” Belfort told MMA Junkie. “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.”
Belfort and Bisping have fought once before, with Belfort picking up a second round TKO win in the main event of UFC On FX 7 in January 2013.
The Brazilian is retiring after his bout at UFC 224, but would consider a return to action if the money is right.
“It’s what I said: in reality, it will be my final fight and my journey is ending,” Belfort said. “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.”
UFC 224 takes place on Saturday, May 12 from the Jeunesse Arena in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil with Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
