Vitor Belfort open to 'neutral ground' rematch with Nate Marquardt following UFC 212 'excuses'

Vitor Belfort has had plenty of rematches during his career, and after his victory over Nate Marquardt at UFC 212 earlier this month, he’s apparently down for another.

Belfort (26-13 MMA, 15-10 UFC) went to the scorecards for the first time in 10 years when he faced Marquardt (35-18-2 MMA, 13-11 UFC) at UFC 212. He came out with 29-28 scores across the board in a slow-paced but competitive middleweight fight.

Although Marquardt was silent in the immediate aftermath of the event, he later told MMAFighting.com he felt the judges got it wrong and cheated him out a victory. “The Great” has never had a rematch during his 18-year, 55-fight career, but he wants one with Belfort.

Marquardt said he feels the fact the fight took place in Belfort’s native Brazil tipped the odds in his favor, but in a response posted on Instagram, “The Phenom” denied that notion and chastised Marquardt for not being gracious in defeat:

I respect @natemarquardt a lot but finding excuses for a loss it is not right. I won the fight for sure and fighting in Brazil doesn't make a difference for the organization and the judges. As far as I'm concerned UFC is a international organization that has events and staff all over the world. But if you want to do it again. I am down for it!! Let's fight in a neutral ground, so you can't complain about hometown advantage. I will make sure that the fight will not go to the last round! Let's do it!! Respeito muito o @natemarquardt mas ficar procurando desculpa para uma derrota não é legal. Eu venci a luta com certeza e lutar no Brasil ou em outro qualquer lugar do mundo não faz diferença para a organização ou para os juízes. Pq até onde eu saiba o UFC é uma organização internacional que promove eventos em vários países e também tem uma equipe espalhada por todos continentes. Mas se vc quer lutar outra vez, por mim tudo bem! Eu topo! Vamos lutar em campo neutro, aí vc não vai poder reclamar de lutar no país de ninguém. Na próxima vou garantir q a luta não vá para as mãos dos juízes. Vamos lutar!!

A post shared by Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort (@vitorbelfort) on Jun 11, 2017 at 2:06pm PDT

“I respect (Marquardt) a lot but finding excuses for a loss it is not right,” Belfort wrote. “I won the fight for sure and fighting in Brazil doesn’t make a difference for the organization and the judges. As far as I’m concerned UFC is an international organization that has events and staff all over the world.”

Marquardt was far from alone in feeling he deserved the nod. Of the 20 media outlets tracked by MMADecisions.com, 13 scored it for the American.

Scoring controversies are new territory for Belfort since he’s a notorious finisher. He did things a little different;y at UFC 212, though, and he said that stemmed from his move to Montreal’s Tristar Gym.

Belfort originally said prior to UFC 212 that the event in Rio de Janeiro would be his final fight. He backtracked as fight night approached, and by the time his post-fight interview had arrived, Belfort said he was planning to compete five more times.

It appears he’s willing to make one of those fights a rematch with Marquardt, and just because of the complaints, he said it can happen in a location where there will be no accusations of biased judging.

“If you want to do it again, I am down for it!” Belfort wrote. “Let’s fight in a neutral ground, so you can’t complain about hometown advantage. I will make sure that the fight will not go to the last round!”

For more on UFC 212, check out the UFC Events section of the site.