Former UFC Champ Vitor Belfort Endorses Ben Carson for President

A former athlete of the Ultimate Fighting Championship [UFC] company recently voiced his endorsement of 2016 presidential hopeful Ben Carson, saying that the candidate values the improvement of America as a "personal" issue.

Mixed martial arts fighter Vitor Belfort voiced his support for the evangelical 2016 presidential hopeful while speaking from the OTB Fight Gym in Deerfield Beach, Florida recently.

Belfort described Carson as having a personal desire to see America improve.

"So what America needs (is) not a messiah. Forget about messiah," Belfort said. "We need a savior. It has to be personal. If he doesn't have America as personal for his kids and grandkids and for his wife, what's the reason?"

Carson shared a photo of himself with Belfort and other UFC athletes on his Twitter page, writing: "A little pre-debate prep with former #UFC Light Heavyweight Champ @vitorbelfort and team. Great sparring partner!"

The retired neurosurgeon added in a comment to the Sun Sentinel that he was thrilled to meet with the professional athlete, who he describes as having the "mindset of a champion."

"He has come up through the ranks, had difficult times but had a mindset of a champion," Carson said. "And that's something that I stress."

Both Carson and Belfort are outspoken evangelical Christians, with Belfort saying in an "I Am Second" video that he found God after suffering the pain of losing his sister.

"I can see now that through that tribulation, I'm a new man. I'm a strong man. I've matured," Belfort said. "I'm not perfect. I still struggle with many things, but it's a process. I'm in the middle of the process and every day I try and prove myself so I can fight through that process, which never ends."