Vitor Belfort (R) of Brazil fights Michael Bisping of Britain during the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) competition, in Sao Paulo January 20, 2013.
Vitor Belfort (R) of Brazil fights Michael Bisping of Britain during the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) competition, in Sao Paulo January 20, 2013. REUTERS

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort thinks he is a better fighter without the testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) that he has been undergoing the past couple of months. The Brazilian fighter and number 12 pound-for-pound mixed martial arts brawler revealed to Sports TV, a local Brazilian channel that he took the procedure to improve some techniques but feels that he is a stronger and more agile fighter removed from it.

"It was better for me (the end of TRT) because I left a boring treatment that was bothering me, and now I'm stronger, lighter and faster. So, for me, it was wonderful. Doesn't matter what my blood says, nor the result of the blood test. What matters is what is in my head," Belfort relayed to Sports TV as translated by MMA Fighting.

The revelation of the 37-year-old wrestler is a complete 180 degree turn from his previous stance that doctors recommended that he undergo the TRT procedure. And due to the recommendation, he has been doing the program for three years running given that he had low testosterone levels. The controversy has always hounded the Brazilian pride as news broke out in the middle of the year that he failed a random drug test due to elevated levels of testosterone. The Nevada State Athletic Commission conducted a random procedure during the World MMA Awards in February and Belfort came out positive in that test. Due to this, Belfort's test failure has always been the subject of criticism from his forthcoming opponent, reigning UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman.

The jiu-jitsu, judo and shutokan fighter is set to face Weidman for the UFC middleweight title fight at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on Feb. 28. Belfort and Weidman are co-headliners of the pay-per-view alongside the women's bantamweight title fight between Ronda Rousey and number 2 contender Cat Zingano.

The two fighters were supposed to face each other this Dec. 6 at UFC 181 but the champion had to beg off due to an unexpected broken hand. With Belfort's pronouncement that he is better of with the elimination of the TRT, the fight would have added intrigue as both fighters would actually battle on equal footing. It remains to be seen if the can topple the man who just dealt the two most devastating losses in Anderson Silva's career.