Before Vitor Belfort fights Kelvin Gastelum in the UFC Fortaleza main event, check out Vitor’s spinning kick finish of Luke Rockhold.
Vitor Belfort will look to end his two-fight losing skid in this Saturday’s UFC Fortaleza main event against Kelvin Gastelum. “The Phenom” was TKO’d by both Ronaldo Souza and Gegard Mousasi in 2016, and at nearly 40 years of age, we’re witnessing the twilight of Vitor’s career.
In the meantime, let’s remember TRT-era Vitor Belfort. That guy combined the best violence of a young Vitor, but with TRT to help provide that youthfulness in his late 30s. The UFC’s free fight video for Vitor is his May 2013 win over Luke Rockhold, who was making his Octagon debut after reigning as Strikeforce’s middleweight champion. Belfort’s spinning kick and punches put Rockhold away just halfway through round 1, sending the Brazilian crowd into an absolute frenzy. You can watch the video at the top of the page.
Here’s Tim Burke’s play-by-play of the fight:
Round 1 – Belfort was circling away early, and Luke slipped on a kick. Belfort threw a spinning kick, never seen that before. Rockhold had a takedown stuffed, and Belfort touched him up with a few punches. Rockhold landed a few kicks, and just avoided a counterpunch from Vitor. Rockhold landed a left. Belfort knocked him out with a spinning kick! Badr Hari! OH MY GOD! THAT WAS INSANE! I literally cannot fathom what my eyes just saw! Vitor Belfort defeated Luke Rockhold by knockout (kick/punches), 2:32 of round 1
And here’s the BE community’s reaction to the finish:
UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Gastelum airs live on Fox Sports 1 from Fortaleza, Brazil on March 11th, with a main card start time of 10 PM ET/7 PM PT.