Vitor Vieira Belfort
(born April 1, 1977 in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, who has fought both in Japan and the United States. The majority of his bouts have taken place in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and he is the former UFC light heavyweight champion. He is the current Cage Rage light heavyweight champion.
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VITOR BELFORT TICKETS
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Biography
Belfort studied in
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu with the Gracie family, namely
Carlson Gracie. He received a
black belt under Carlson.
[1]
He currently trains out of Xtreme Couture,
[2] and is now fighting in the middleweight division.
Belfort is currently ranked #7 in the world at Middleweight according to Sherdog.com's rankings.
[3]
MMA career
At the age of 19, Belfort came to the United States to compete. In his first sanctioned mixed martial arts match, an event called Superbrawl in Hawaii, his opponent was
Jon Hess, who the young Brazilian defeated in 12 seconds by
knockout (
KO).
UFC
Soon after, he moved on to compete in the UFC, where he was given the nickname
The Phenom
. He beat two fighters in his debut event in the UFC, winning the
UFC 12
Heavyweight Tournament. At age 19, Belfort became the youngest fighter to ever score a victory inside the octagon.
[4] Belfort's next match saw him score a
technical knockout (
TKO) against the
UFC 6
runner-up
Tank Abbott in a non-tournament fight, knocking Abbott down and finishing him with a
ground and pound attack.
In 1997 Belfort fought against American
Greco-Roman wrestler Randy Couture. Belfort was upset by TKO 8:16 into the match, his
boxing skills negated by Couture's
clinch fighting.
After this defeat, he would fight twice more in the UFC. The first of these fights was against a training partner of his,
Joe Charles, who he defeated quickly via
armbar without throwing a single punch. A year later, Belfort faced rising Brazilian star and future
Pride Middleweight champion
Wanderlei Silva. Catching Silva early with a left cross, Belfort chased him across the ring with a flurry of punches, TKOing Silva in just 44 seconds.
Pride
Vitor then moved on to fight in Japan's Pride Fighting Championships. His first opponent was
Kazushi Sakuraba in 1999. Vitor controlled the first minutes of the fight before being stomped and kicked by Sakuraba in his legs whilst he laid on his back for the remainder of the fight. Following the fight he stopped training with Carlson Gracie and started to train with
Brazilian Top Team.
He fought five more times in Pride against
Gilbert Yvel,
Daijiro Matsui,
Bobby Southworth,
Yoshiki Takahashi, and
Heath Herring. For these matches Belfort used his stand-up striking skills less and instead controlled the fights and won by ground-and-pound tactics, with the exception of his fights with Southworth and Takahashi, which he won via
rear naked choke and knockout in the first round respectively.
Return to the UFC
Returning to the UFC, Belfort was scheduled to fight
Tito Ortiz in the main event of UFC's first
Las Vegas show at
UFC 33
. However, he acquired an injury prior to the event that would require surgery. Belfort eventually returned and fought
Chuck Liddell (losing via decision), then
Marvin Eastman (winning via TKO and opening a severe cut on Eastman's eyebrow with a knee strike).
His next fight was on February 2, 2004, a rematch with Randy Couture for the UFC light heavyweight championship. Despite agonizing over his sister Priscila Belfort who disappeared on January 9, Vitor won the fight in 49 seconds after a seam from his glove cut Couture's eye leaving Couture with a corneal abrasion, prompting a referee stoppage. A third match between the two took place on August 21, 2004. Couture won via doctor stoppage after the third round, recapturing the UFC light heavyweight title.
His next fight in the UFC was against Tito Ortiz on February 5, 2005. Belfort broke Tito's nose with punches in the first round and nearly stopped Ortiz in the second. The battle raged on as Vitor tried to keep it standing as Ortiz looked to continue to take the fight to the ground. Unable to finish the fight, Belfort lost by split decision.
Pro Boxing
On April 11, 2006 Vitor fought in his pro boxing debut against
Josemario Neves. Belfort won by TKO within the first minute after knocking his opponent down three times. This has been his sole venture into the sport of professional boxing so far.
Steroid Controversy
At
Pride 32: The Real Deal
on October 21, 2006, Belfort lost a unanimous decision to Pride Welterweight Champion
Dan Henderson. After the fight, Belfort tested positive for an illegal substance,
4-hydroxytestosterone. In his defense, Belfort argued that he purchased an over the counter supplement which contained 4-Hydroxytestosterone. Belfort also explained that he may have received 4-Hydroxytestosterone as the result of rehabilitative injections given to him by Brazilian endocrinologist Dr. Rodrigo M. Greco after his surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee in the summer of 2006. The
Nevada State Athletic Commission eventually received a statement from Dr. Greco stating that he did give Belfort post surgical injections containing testosterone.
[5] While conceding that Belfort may have not known about the testosterone, the NSAC explained that even if Belfort was given injections by a medical practictioner who did not inform him that they contained anabolic steroids, it would still be a violation of the banned substances policy. On December 21, 2006 he was suspended for nine months from the date of the hearing and fined $10,000.
Cage Rage
Vitor Belfort defeated
Ivan Serati by TKO at
Cage Rage 21
in England on April 21, 2007.
He defeated
James Zikic on September 22, 2007 at
Cage Rage 23
to claim the Cage Rage light heavyweight title in a unanimous decision. He entered the fight with a broken hand and during the fight threw minimal punches and utilized takedowns and ground and pound techniques. He apologized to the crowd for not putting on a good show but promised a better fight next time.
Affliction
Vitor spent a brief time training for his Affliction fight against
Terry Martin with Chute Boxe in Brazil. However he completed his preparation for the fight at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas.
Shawn Tompkins and Randy Couture helped train him for the fight in which he got a second round KO by landing a flying knee and following up with an uppercut straight-left combination.
After the fight Couture said Belfort was thinking about moving to Las Vegas and training at
Xtreme Couture full time.
Belfort's next fight was slated to be against
Matt Lindland at the second Affliction event, however he was forced to pull out, due to a hand-injury sustained during the Terry Martin fight. The second Affliction event was postponed anyway and rescheduled for January 2009, enabling Vitor to fight on that card.
After rumours of a possible bout with reigning Dream Middleweight Grand Prix winner
Gegard Mousasi were circulating, it was announced that Vitor would finally fight Lindland at
Affliction: Day of Reckoning. Lindland was originally slated to fight
Renato Sobral at a catchweight, but promoters of Affliction preferred the Belfort Vs. Lindland fight at
Middleweight. The fight ended in a KO within thirty-seven seconds as Belfort delivered a strong left to Lindland's jaw and followed up with four vicious shots as he hit the ground.
Belfort was expected to fight against
Fedor Emelianenko at
Affliction: Trilogy on August 1, 2009, substituting for
Josh Barnett, who was denied a fight license by the California State Athletic Commission for failing a pre-fight drug test. However, on July 24th, the event was canceled.
[6]
Second Return to the UFC
During a July 31, 2009 press conference,
Dana White announced that the UFC has signed Belfort to a contract. His first match will be against
Rich Franklin at a catchweight of 195 lbs, headlining
UFC 103.
[7]
Personal life
Belfort is married to
Joana Prado and together they have three children, a son named Davi, who was born February 6, 2005 and a daughter named Victoria, who was born October 31, 2007,
[8] and a daughter named Kyara, who was born June 7, 2009.
[9]
Belfort also had a small part in a reality show on Brazilian
television and appeared next to his wife when she was photographed for the Brazilian edition of Playboy.
On January 9, 2004, Vitor's sister, Priscila Belfort was kidnapped and the relatives received no information about her. In August 2007 a woman (identified as Elaine Paiva) confessed that she participated in her killing
[10] and that she was kidnapped to pay off a four thousand dollar debt Paiva had with drug dealers. Paiva was arrested along with three others alleged to be involved in the kidnapping that took place in January 2004.
Vitor Belfort speaks Portuguese, English, French, and Spanish.
Championships and Awards
Ultimate Fighting Championship
UFC 12
Heavyweight Tournament Champion
Former UFC Light-heavyweight Champion
Cage Rage
Current Cage Rage Light-heavyweight Champion
MMA record
| Professional record breakdown
|
|
| 18
| 18 {{#switch:
| 0
|
| Draws
| 0
|
| Record
| Date
| Result
| Opponent
| Event
| Method
| Round
| Time
| Location
| Notes
|
| 2009-09-19
|
| Rich Franklin
| UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort
|
|
|
| Dallas, Texas, USA
| Catchweight bout of 195 lbs
|
| 18–8
| 2009-01-24
| Win
| Matt Lindland
| Affliction: Day of Reckoning
| KO (Punches)
| 1
| 0:37
| Anaheim, California, US
|
| 17–8
| 2008-07-19
| Win
| Terry Martin
| Affliction: Banned
| KO (Punches)
| 2
| 3:12
| Anaheim, California, US
| Debut at Middleweight (185 lbs)
|
| 16–8
| 2007-09-22
| Win
| James Zikic
| Cage Rage 23
| Decision (Unanimous)
| 3
| 5:00
| London, England, UK
| Won Cage Rage World Light Heavyweight Title
|
| 15–8
| 2007-04-21
| Win
| Ivan Serati
| Cage Rage 21
| TKO (Punches)
| 1
| 3:47
| London, England, UK
|
| 14–8
| 2006-10-21
| Loss
| Dan Henderson
| PRIDE 32: The Real Deal
| Decision (Unanimous)
| 3
| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada, US
|
| 14–7
| 2006-07-02
| Win
| Yoshiki Takahashi
| PRIDE Critical Countdown Absolute
| KO (Punch)
| 1
| 0:36
| Saitama, Japan
|
| 13–7
| 2006-06-09
| Loss
| Alistair Overeem
| Strikeforce: Revenge
| Decision (Unanimous)
| 3
| 5:00
| San Jose, California, US
|
| 13–6
| 2005-12-03
| Win
| Antony Rea
| Cage Rage 14: Punishment
| KO (Punches)
| 2
| 1:30
| London, England, UK
|
| 12–6
| 2005-04-23
| Loss
| Alistair Overeem
| PRIDE Total Elimination 2005
| Submission (Guillotine Choke)
| 1
| 9:36
| Osaka, Japan
|
| 12–5
| 2005-02-05
| Loss
| Tito Ortiz
| UFC 51: Super Saturday
| Decision (Split)
| 3
| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada, US
|
| 12–4
| 2004-08-21
| Loss
| Randy Couture
| UFC 49: Unfinished Business
| TKO (Doctor Stoppage)
| 3
| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada, US
| Lost UFC Light Heavyweight title
|
| 12–3
| 2004-01-31
| Win
| Randy Couture
| UFC 46: Supernatural
| TKO (Cut)
| 1
| 0:49
| Las Vegas, Nevada, US
| Won UFC Light Heavyweight title
|
| 11–3
| 2003-06-06
| Win
| Marvin Eastman
| UFC 43: Meltdown
| TKO (Strikes)
| 1
| 1:07
| Las Vegas, Nevada, US
|
| 10–3
| 2002-06-22
| Loss
| Chuck Liddell
| UFC 37.5: As Real As It Gets
| Decision (Unanimous)
| 3
| 5:00
| Las Vegas, Nevada, US
|
| 10–2
| 2001-05-27
| Win
| Heath Herring
| PRIDE 14: Clash of the Titans
| Decision (Unanimous)
| 3
| 5:00
| Yokohama, Japan
|
| 9–2
| 2001-03-25
| Win
| Bobby Southworth
| PRIDE 13: Collision Course
| Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
| 1
| 4:09
| Saitama, Japan
|
| 8–2
| 2000-08-27
| Win
| Daijiro Matsui
| PRIDE 10: Return of the Warriors
| Decision (Unanimous)
| 2
| 10:00
| Saitama, Japan
|
| 7–2
| 2000-06-04
| Win
| Gilbert Yvel
| PRIDE 9: New Blood
| Decision (Unanimous)
| 2
| 10:00
| Nagoya, Japan
|
| 6–2
| 1999-04-29
| Loss
| Kazushi Sakuraba
| PRIDE 5
| Decision (Unanimous)
| 2
| 10:00
| Nagoya, Japan
|
| 6–1
| 1998-10-16
| Win
| Wanderlei Silva
| UFC Brazil: Ultimate Brazil
| TKO (Strikes)
| 1
| 0:44
| Sao Paulo, Brazil
|
| 5–1
| 1997-12-21
| Win
| Joe Charles
| UFC Japan: Ultimate Japan
| Submission (Armbar)
| 1
| 4:03
| Yokohama, Japan
|
| 4–1
| 1997-10-17
| Loss
| Randy Couture
| UFC 15: Collision Course
| TKO (Strikes)
| 1
| 8:16
| Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, US
|
| 4–0
| 1997-05-30
| Win
| Tank Abbott
| UFC 13: The Ultimate Force
| TKO (Strikes)
| 1
| 0:52
| Augusta, Georgia, US
|
| 3–0
| 1997-02-07
| Win
| Scott Ferrozzo
| UFC 12: Judgment Day
| TKO (Strikes)
| 1
| 0:43
| Dothan, Alabama, US
| Won UFC 12 Heavyweight Tournament
|
| 2–0
| 1997-02-07
| Win
| Tra Telligman
| UFC 12: Judgment Day
| TKO (Cut)
| 1
| 1:17
| Dothan, Alabama, US
|
| 1–0
| 1996-10-11
| Win
| Jon Hess
| SuperBrawl 2
| KO (Punches)
| 1
| 0:12
| Honolulu, Hawaii, US
|
References
- Vitor+Belfort
- Vitor Belfort Interview
- http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Vitor-Belfort-156
- http://ufcstats.x10hosting.com/youngestwin.php
- Vitor Belfort & Pawel Nastula suspended
- Fedor Emelianenko vs. Vitor Belfort expected for "Affliction Trilogy"
- http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2009/7/31/970709/dana-white-press-conference-live
- Vitor Belfort Is A Proud Papa Again
- Em Casa Joana Prado e a filha Kyara já deixaram a
maternidade
- Priscila Belfort teria sido seqüestrada por uma dívida de R$ 9 mil com traficantes