Vitor Belfort Promises His Best In 2007

After spending some years living in Belo Horizonte, a quiet city in Brazil, Vitor Belfort has returned to Rio de Janeiro, where he will train full time with the Black House.

He believes that this change will give his career new life, and soon he will be better than when he was in his prime — when he was nicknamed “The Phenom.”

“People are still calling me up, but that old Vitor will not come back,” said Belfort. “I’m ready to show a better Vitor, more mature, more conscious, more technical and with a good mind.”

Belfort said he was seeing a psychologist. He also revealed that he was on speaking terms with his former coach Carlson Gracie before the jiu-jitsu legend’s death in Feb. 2006. If Carlson hadn’t passed away, Belfort said, they would definitely be together again.

"If I did something wrong against Carlson,” Belford said, “God was giving me the chance to fix things up.”