• UFC 133

Belfort suffers problem in preparation for Akiyama

ESPN staff
April 26, 2011
Vitor Belfort's last victory came against Rich Franklin © Getty Images
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Vitor Belfort's preparations for Yoshihiro Akiyama have suffered a setback, after he was told to rest for a few weeks to recover from Hepatitis A.

Belfort fights Akiyama at UFC 133 in a potentially explosive middleweight encounter, which takes place on August 6.

However, the Brazilian will not be able to train until the end of May after he was diagnosed with Hepatitis, which affects the liver. Belfort will not even fly, as planned, to Toronto to watch UFC 129 this weekend, instead taking it easy for the next four weeks.

According to MMA Weekly, the Mayo Clinic describes Hepatitis A as: "A highly contagious liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus. Hepatitis A is one of several types of hepatitis viruses that cause inflammation that affects your liver's ability to function.

"You're most likely to contract hepatitis A from contaminated food or water or from close contact with someone who's already infected. Mild cases of hepatitis A don't require treatment, and most people who are infected recover completely with no permanent liver damage."

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