Vitor Belfort hasn’t fought since landing a head-kick that knocked out Dan Henderson back in November. By the time “The Phenom” finally returns to the Octagon, it will have been well over a year on the sidelines.

While many have called into question what kind of fighter Belfort will be without the use of TRT – something he was granted for each of his three finishes in 2013 vs. Henderson, Luke Rockhold and Michael Bisping – he believes the answers will come.

“The fact that I haven’t fought in 2014 will only make my opponents surprised with my performance,” said Belfort, during an interview with MMAFighting.com. “I had time to adapt myself and evolve even more. Despite not having fought, I worked hard at Blackzilians and spent this whole time getting ready to win my third world title in a different weight class in the UFC.”

Belfort (24-10) was set to meet Chris Weidman for the middleweight title in December, but a hand injury caused Weidman to bow out. No date has been set for the bout, but it is likely to take place in early 2015.

Despite things not going exactly as the Brazilian planned in 2014, he isn’t looking back with hate or anger.

“I’m positive that those adversities will only make me stronger and ready for the next challenges,” Belfort said. “I was expecting to fight and win the title, but I believe that everything happens for a reason.

“My training routine is intense, it’s part of my lifestyle. I will continue focused on reinventing myself and getting stronger every day, waiting for the fight.”

Belfort is 6-2 since returning to the UFC in 2009 with a finish of Rich Franklin. His two losses were both via stoppages, as Anderson Silva knocked him out in a bout for the middleweight title in 2011 and Jon Jones submitted him for light heavyweight gold a year later.