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What’s the story?
Come 12th May 2018, the world of Combat Sports will witness the end of an era, as former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Vitor Belfort has confirmed that he will step into the Octagon one last time at the UFC 224 pay-per-view in his nation of Brazil.
In case you didn’t know…
Vitor Belfort announced his arrival to the UFC in style back in 1997, when “The Phenom” defeated two fighters in his debut event in the UFC, winning the UFC 12 Heavyweight Tournament.
During his stint with the UFC, Belfort engaged in a classic rivalry against the legendary Randy Couture, whom Belfort defeated in 2004 to capture his first ever UFC Title, winning the Light Heavyweight Belt in the process. Couture and Belfort collided with each other on three different occasions in the UFC, with Belfort managing to win only one of those three fights.
Also during his tenure with the UFC, Belfort has provided us with some of the most memorable moments and fights against the likes of Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold, Dan Henderson, Jon Jones, and Anderson Silva.
The heart of the matter
After being associated with the sport of Mixed Martial Arts for almost two decades, Brazilian fighter Vitor Belfort has seemingly confirmed his retirement from the sport as he gets set to step into the Octagon for one last time at this year’s UFC 224 PPV in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
In a latest Instagram post, Belfort stated that for his last bout inside the UFC Octagon, “The Phenom” will face-off against his close friend and fellow Brazilian Lyoto Machida. Belfort posted a lengthy statement on the social media this past Saturday as he stated that over the course of these past 20 years, Belfort has broken a lot of barriers and paved the way for the next generation in the world of MMA and labeled himself as one of the pioneers of the sport, something which he is very proud of.
Lastly, “The Phenom” also said that come May 12th, he will still be friends with Lyoto Machida when the two men step into the Octagon as professionals.
What’s next?
UFC 224 is scheduled to take place on the 12th of May in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at the Jeunesse Arena as Vitor Belfort prepares to step into the MMA cage for the one final time.
Author’s Take
In my opinion, Vitor Belfort couldn’t have asked for a better opponent for his final fight and it is undeniable that “The Phenom” will go down as one of the greatest combat sports fighters of all time.
