Fight between Wand (left) and Sonnen (right) bothered V. Belfort. Photo: Instagram/Reproduction
the fight between Wanderlei Silva e Chael Sonnen in the recordings of TUF Brasil 3, shown on the program broadcast last Sunday (13), continues to be the center of discussions in Brazilian MMA. After several demonstrations from fans and specialized chroniclers, as well as the parties involved, it was time for Vitor belfort, one of the greatest exponents of the sport in the country, gives his opinion on the confusion. In a long text published through his official profile on Instagram, Belfort harshly criticized the coaches' behavior and stated that he feels embarrassed by what happened.
VIDEO: Watch the full fight between Wand and Sonnen on TUF
One of the main points covered in the publication by Vitor, who shared technical command with Wanderlei in the first edition of TUF Brasil, was the bad example set by both Wand and Sonnen in the altercation. According to Belfort, mixed martial arts have a broad set of rules for sporting duels, in addition to demanding straight conduct outside the octagon. The “Phenomenon” also did not spare television, and stated that the broadcast of such images in the media may have further fueled the violence.
BUT: Sonnen's assistant accuses TUF production of causing a fight between Sonnen and Wand
Check below, in full, the outburst published by Vitor belfort about the fight between Wanderlei Silva e Chael Sonnen:
Martial arts came into my life to mean discipline and respect. And this happened when I was just 8 years old, when I started practicing judo. I see the responsibility of my “sports heroes”, who influenced my career and that is why I always felt obliged to give back, being an athlete who represented the sport with the same discipline and respect that they taught me when I started, almost 30 years ago. The fight of Wanderlei Silva and Chanel Sonnen on the TUF Brasil program embarrasses me. Firstly, because MMA is not fighting, it is fighting between prepared people inside an octagon. This is what I do. I don't fight, I fight. Second, there is no longer room, in a sport like MMA, to accept this behavior, when the sport itself has clear rules for unsportsmanlike attitudes outside the ring. Third, and most importantly, MMA can never influence behavior in which the discussion ends in aggression as if that were the appropriate model of behavior. Millions of young people suffer violence inside and outside of school, television cannot be a driver of this behavior and, even less so, athletes must represent any violent attitude due to lack of control, whatever the provocation. MMA fighters must urgently be aware that their behavior inside and outside the octagons can influence millions of people for good or bad. I chose to influence for good, because MMA also chose this path. Anything outside of that is no longer MMA. It's a fight. And that definitely doesn't represent me.
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