This weekend was supposed to feature Vitor Belfort's final walk to the UFC Octagon, a last farewell to cap off 25 career appearances in the UFC.
As his middleweight fight against Nate Marquardt at UFC 212 in Rio de Janeiro approaches, however, Belfort says he's no longer convinced this is where he and the UFC will part ways.
"No, I don't feel that way," Belfort said when asked if he truly felt this would be his final fight in the UFC. "I'll be OK if this is my last fight, but it feels more like a new beginning."
That's a hard departure from how Belfort (25-13) said he felt one month ago, when he wrote on social media that UFC 212 would be his "last appearance for the organization." His UFC career dates back to 1997 and includes a light heavyweight championship win over Randy Couture in 2004.
Belfort, 40, says he feels "like a kid again," following his most recent training camp. Based out of Florida, Belfort decided to spend four weeks at Tristar MMA in Montreal and says it has revitalized his career.
"I wanted to be a regular guy for this camp," Belfort said. "I was feeling burned out before, but I made some changes. At Tristar, I was living in a little apartment with a small kitchen and nothing else. I was away from my family. It reminded me of the sacrifices of this sport, and it's been a fantastic choice.
"I feel this can be the beginning of more fights in the UFC."
There has been plenty of speculation that Belfort could eventually be a likely candidate to fight outside the UFC.
Belfort has been outspoken about some of the UFC's business practices, including the Reebok deal. He is also a former patient of testosterone-replacement therapy (TRT) but was forced to discontinue that treatment under the UFC and state athletic commissions' policies. In the event he were to sign with a promotion overseas, he would be able to restart treatment.
Speaking to ESPN.com, however, Belfort said he has no desire to leave the UFC and believes he could be a major asset both as a fighter and a point of contact between the promotion and its talent.
"People can say or assume whatever they want, but the UFC has always been great to me, and I love them," Belfort said. "There are new owners of the UFC, and I think I can help a lot. I heard they have a new, great office in Las Vegas. I am a businessman. I think I can be a great way to communicate between the organization and fighters.
"I don't think we need a union. I think we need to make shifts in the organization and make it as successful as it can be. We've already grown as entertainment, now let's grow as a sport. Athletes in basketball get paid not just to compete but to train as well. We need to make this happen in the UFC. I'm very open with this organization, and they are open with me."
As far as his future goes, Belfort did not rule any possibility out, and he says that's how he prefers to live his life. He doesn't know what tomorrow will bring.
Saturday's result could obviously have an enormous effect on Belfort's next move. He is officially 1-3 in his past four fights and has been finished via knockout four times in the past 25 months.
"I was not completely out. It was a TKO," Belfort said of his most recent fight, against Kelvin Gastelum in March. "It's hard to knock me out. I'm a tough guy. I think I rushed in that fight. We collected the mistakes, whatever I did wrong, and we corrected it."