Worth the Weight

It was day two in limbo Thursday for Vitor Belfort and his trainers as they await word from Affliction Entertainment regarding the fighter’s Aug. 1 dance partner.

The mood at the Xtreme Couture facility had shifted significantly from Wednesday, as each minute that ticked away seemed to heighten speculation that Belfort’s proposed match with Fedor Emelianenko could slip out of their teammate’s grasp.

A very tangible concern for the camp is Belfort’s weight, and if he will need to stick to his diet and begin his last round of weight-cutting or head for the nearest barbeque joint post-haste.

Belfort said he was walking around at 198 pounds Thursday, while head coach Shawn Tompkins said the goal would be to get the Brazilian to the 209-210 pound range by fight time.

“Any more would take away from his athleticism,” said Tompkins.

Emelianenko weighed in at 230 pounds for his bout against Andrei Arlovski on Jan. 24 for Affliction’s second event.

Tompkins said the promotion had promised an answer by Thursday night or Friday morning, so Belfort would have the proper amount of time begin his next course of action.

“We just want to know where we’re at, “said Tompkins. “We’re nervous about it, just like everybody else as far as where we’re going to go with our weight.”