Chris Weidman, Vitor Belfort jaw before UFC 187 bout
UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman and challenger Vitor Belfort at the UFC 187 weigh-ins on Friday, May 22, 2015, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The fight happens Saturday. Credit: Newsday
Chris Weidman walked onto the scale and weighed 185 pounds on Friday afternoon, the proper amount for the middleweight champion. He stepped off the scale inside the Grand Ballroom at the MGM Grand and started talking to his UFC 187 opponent, Vitor Belfort.
Weidman jawed. Belfort jawed back. As staredowns typically go at weigh-ins for a UFC event, this was far more animated than most.
So what had Weidman in such a talkative mood?
"I left him alone with this whole drug test thing, but then we just found out during camp he had a 1,200 testosterone score," Weidman said during his post-weigh-in interview on stage with Joe Rogan. "I'm 10 years younger than him and he's got a way higher testosterone level. This guy's still cheating. I'm gonna make him pay for it tomorrow night."
Weidman, 31, was referring to a report from Combate in Brazil that Belfort's pre-fight drug test revealed far higher testosterone and testosterone-epitestosterone ratio levels than Weidman. The numbers for Belfort reported by Combate, however, were within the maximum allowance under the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the event's sanctioning body.
In February 2014, the NSAC voted unanimously to ban granting therapeutic use exemptions for the controversial testosterone replacement therapy. That same day, the UFC announced it no longer would allow fighters using TRT to compete in events it self-governed (which typically are overseas events where there are no regulating bodies). Belfort had faced criticism during the past two years for his TRT use and was removed from the fight.
Mark La Monica is a deputy sports editor at Newsday. He also covers mixed martial arts.
