Vitor Belfort suffered a knee injury prior to UFC 224 and was advised to pull out of his retirement fight with Lyoto Machida.
Vitor Belfort was advised by doctors to pull out his retirement bout with Lyoto Machida at UFC 224, according to MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz.
Combate reported yesterday that ‘The Phenom’ suffered a knee injury during the first week of his training camp for UFC 224, and MMA Fighting confirmed the news on Thursday.
Belfort, an MMA veteran of twenty one years, ignored his doctors’ advice and went on to fight Machida at the Jeunesse Arena in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The former UFC light heavyweight champion was knocked out with a front kick landed by ‘The Dragon’ in the second round, and announced his retirement in the post-fight interview by laying down his gloves in the Octagon.
Belfort has been knocked out in four of his last five fights and his speed and power have noticeably deteriorated over the last two years. The 41-year-old elicited cheers from the crowd during his retirement speech and is sure to earn his spot in the UFC’s Hall of Fame, having won multiple titles and being tied with Anderson Silva and Donald Cerrone for the most finishes in UFC history.