Vitor Belfort today said a rift between Shawn Tompkins and Xtreme Couture is at the heart of a decision to part ways with the renowned trainer.

The former UFC champion was quick to downplay the split and said his training for a title fight next weekend with middleweight champion Anderson Silva (27-4 MMA, 12-0 UFC) has not been affected.

"I'm very happy, and it was just a different decision," Belfort (19-8 MMA, 8-4 UFC) said during a conference call in support of the fight, which headlines UFC 126 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. "Nothing personal."

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Tompkins, who left Xtreme Couture this past October for the neighboring TapouT Training Center, this past week confirmed the split during an interview with Mauro Ranallo's "The Fight Show" and criticized Belfort's decision to move on.

"Vitor has done this before," he said. "Sometimes he gets a little clouded in his head. … Vitor just wanders and … goes where, 'What's happening? What's famous?'"

Tompkins added that recent reports of Belfort's work with boxing legend Mike Tyson and work with Xtreme Couture are overstated.

"Just because he's over at Couture's and not with me doesn't mean he's with Couture's," the trainer said. "Vitor isn't loyal to anybody. We've seen it before."

Belfort angrily responded to the comments earlier this week via Twitter and stated that Tompkins "took it to the personal side, but what he said doesn't match with the truth."

Today, though, he was far more diplomatic.

"Every fighter has his own mind (and) represents himself, of course, but you have people around you (who) help to make decisions," he said. "I've been training four years, I think, at Xtreme Couture, and I feel good over there.

"When [Tompkins] was last there, we tried to work together. But he's doing his thing. He was doing his team, and he wants to do it the way he wants. And I felt like I still wanted to work over there (at Xtreme Couture), but I just thought it wouldn't have worked out. They had, like, personal issues and stuff, and I don't take things personal. I take things professional, and I met with him and … I really talked to him, and I [said], 'You're going to this direction. I think for me what is better is that direction,' and (it was) not just myself that made the decision."

Since the split, the middleweight contender has joined up with former K-1 kickboxer and current Strikeforce heavyweight Ray Sefo, as well as his cousin, Pedro Frapiuna, who runs the camp and helps with jiu jitsu along with Xtreme Couture staffer Neil Melanson. Budding diet guru Mike Dolce keeps his nutrition on track.

Belfort said there are no hard feelings toward Tompkins.

"I have people around me … that are really important to my life," he said. "So it was a very easy decision. But the only thing that was hard, of course, (is that) you want things to work out. But you have to take life easy. You can't make a big thing of things that happen."