• UFC Brazil

Belfort wants forgiveness for threatening journalist

ESPN staff
May 21, 2013
Vitor Belfort stopped Luke Rockhold in round one © Getty Images
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Vitor Belfort has asked for forgiveness after he called for a journalist to be beaten up at the recent UFC Brazil post-fight press conference.

Belfort beat Luke Rockhold in spectacular fashion in Saturday's main event, finishing the fight in the first round via a spinning heel kick.

Afterwards the issue of Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) was raised, with Belfort a high-profile user of the controversial treatment. Belfort was granted exemption to use TRT, meaning he fought legally under current rules, so he reacted angrily when quizzed about it by a journalist.

"Can somebody beat him up for me, please?" Belfort said. "Can somebody beat him up?

"You're boring man, you're boring. Get out of here. ... I'm not going to talk to you. Talk to my hand."

Belfort acknowledged on Tuesday that he was wrong to react in such an aggressive manner, although he maintained his belief that the journalist had pushed too far by repeatedly raising the TRT issue across fight week.

"To all my fans and to all the reporters [who were] there on the [post-fight] press conference I would like to ask for forgiveness [for] the way I answer about TRT," Belfort tweeted.

"I recognise that I answered in an immature way but [it] was the 10th time that that reporter asked the same question. No excuse!! I made a wrong call and I am here to ask for forgiveness."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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