Vitor Belfort Wants to Buy Stake in UFC, Hopes Legends Division Created
Oct 6, 2016
Vitor Belfort doesn’t want to just sign autographs and take pictures in his retirement. He has other ideas for his pension plan which includes buying stock in the UFC as well as hopefully continuing to compete in a legends division with special rules.
Last month the UFC announced a slew of A-list celebrities from the world of Film, TV and sport including Ben Affleck, Maria Sharapova and Jimmy Kimmel to name a few had purchased a small stake in the promotion and joined the ownership group led by WME-IMG. Belfort believes the UFC fighters should be afforded the right to also buy a stake.
“We deserve more,” said Belfort at the UFC 204 ultimate media day in Manchester, England. “We deserve to buy stock in the UFC like Sharapova. What about us? We don’t have the chance to buy stock in the UFC. What do these other athletes have that we don’t? I bled and put my life into this sport and I don’t have a chance to become a partner of the UFC but other athletes can? That shows the respect we don’t have. They don’t even offer, ‘Hey Vitor, do you want to buy 1% for this much?’.
"So a lot of things have to change but I am in favor of the UFC. I don’t believe I need to work against them. I want us to work together. I haven’t received a phone call from the new owners but they just started and everything is new.”
Not settling to play the wolf of wall street with the UFC, Belfort would also like to see the promotion add an ATP seniors tour style division with perhaps some special rules.
“I think they need a legends division,” said Belfort. “They need to value us more. I don’t want to just work here, sign autographs and take pictures. I have a brain and I want the organisation in the next phase. Why wouldn’t the people love to see a legends division with different rules? Maybe the gloves can be a little bigger? We can change things. The gloves a too small. Things have to adapt.
"We don’t make crazy money. So things have to change and I believe they will. It’s just a matter of time. I’d like to change something now if I can. I believe in the organization and believe they can do it, it’s just a matter of how, when and who’s going to do it.”
Vitor Belfort vs. Gegard Mousasi serves as the co-main event for this weekend’s UFC 204 PPV which goes down in Manchester, England.
