Renowned MMA referee “Big” John McCarthy has come to the defense of UFC legend Vitor Belfort regarding accusations of PED use throughout his career.
On a recent episode of the podcast he co-hosts with Josh Thomson, McCarthy addressed the controversy surrounding Belfort’s UFC Hall of Fame induction, pushing back against critics who dismiss the accomplishments due to his history with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT).
“I put out a thing saying, ‘Hey, congratulations to Vitor Belfort.’ And the first thing I get back is a bunch of people [saying], ‘Yeah, he was a ster**d user,'” McCarthy explained. “I said, stop. Dude, if you have to be that much of a hater, look, he went through the whole TRT thing. At the time, it was legal. Then when they didn’t say it was legal, he wasn’t on it.”
McCarthy emphasized that Belfort’s use of TRT occurred during a period when it was permitted in the sport. “What are you going to say? I’m going to say he was on it when he could do it,” McCarthy stated.
When co-host Thomson suggested that Belfort had used PEDs in his first against Randy Couture, McCarthy was quick to correct him. “Time out. Time out. Time out. He was on stuff long before that,” McCarthy acknowledged. “But it was legal. There was nothing against it.”
McCarthy, who has officiated many high-profile UFC matches throughout his career, insisted that Belfort never attempted to conceal his use of performance enhancers. “I’ve gone through all kinds of things with Vitor. But back then it was legal. He did it. He never did it where he was hiding it. Never.”
Thomson expressed some reservations about Belfort’s Hall of Fame status, citing his own perspective as someone who “had to work extremely hard for everything” and “wasn’t extremely athletic.”
Despite the controversy, Belfort’s legendary career includes holding the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship and scoring spectacular knockouts against elite competitors. His induction into the UFC Hall of Fame recognizes his significant contributions to the sport’s growth and popularity over his decades-long career.
