UFC on FX 7: Vitor Belfort, Michael Bisping Have Heated Exchange after Press Conference (Video)
By Josh Sanchez
Middleweight contenders Vitor Belfort and Michael Bisping are set to face off in the octagon on Saturday at the Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The event’s main card will be aired on FX starting at 8:00 pm E.T. with the preliminary card kicking off at 6:00 pm on FUEL TV.
Belfort and Bisping have had some spirited trash talk leading up to the event and the two fighters were finally face to face after the 45-minute pre-fight press conference on Thursday.
When the two fighters squared off, Belfort was a bit out of character and instigated Bisping by placing his fist on the chin of the British middleweight. Bisping didn’t enjoy the move and swatted Belfort’s fist away from his chin.
Instead of backing down, Belfort placed his fist right back where it was and UFC Managing Director of International Development Marshall Zelaznik was forced to step between the two men and separate them.
That is when the two men continued to jaw at each other.
Bisping had some choice words for Belfort and gave him a fair warning saying, “I’ll [expletive] see you on Saturday night.”
Belfort showed his emotion and returned with a message of his own. “I’m ready,” said the Brazilian. Belfort then turned to his fellow countrymen in the crowd and shouted, “Saturday!”
It is rare to see Belfort show so much emotion leading up to a fight, but it is a good sign for those of us hoping for an action-packed main event on Saturday.
Here is video of the exchange:
Here is the full fight card for Saturday’s event:
MAIN CARD
- Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping
- C.B. Dollaway vs. Daniel Sarafian
- Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Ben Rothwell
- Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Thiago Tavares
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Godofredo Castro vs. Milton Vieira
- Andrew Craig vs. Ronny Markes
- Nik Lentz vs. Diego Nunes
- Edson Barboza vs. Lucas Martins
- Yuri Alcantara vs. Pedro Nobre
- Ildemar Alcantara vs. Wagner Prado
- C.J. Keith vs. Francisco Trinaldo