In possibly the final fight of his UFC career, Vitor Belfort went out a winner with a unanimous-decision victory over Nate Marquardt at UFC 212 on Saturday in Brazil.
All three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Belfort, a surprising res…
In possibly the final fight of his UFC career, Vitor Belfort went out a winner with a unanimous-decisionvictory over Nate Marquardt at UFC 212 on Saturday in Brazil.
All three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Belfort, a surprising result simply because the match went the full 15 minutes.
Per USA Today‘s Mike Bohn, this marks Belfort’s first decision since 2007.
Twitter users shared their thoughts on Belfort’s win:
Belfort is one of the UFC’s longest-tenured fighters, as he made his debut with the promotion at UFC 12 in 1997. He bounced around other organizations, including Pride and Strikeforce, but always found his way back to the UFC.
It’s been a rough go for Belfort lately. The 40-year-old entered Saturday’s fight having lost three of his last five bouts, and Kelvin Gastelum knocked him out in a result that was later overturned to a no-contest due to Gastelum’s failing a post-fight drug test for marijuana in March.
Despite his age, and the wear and tear on his body, Belfort is not completely retiring from competition:
Per MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani, Belfort didn’t sound like he was ready to call it a career after his win:
There is nowhere else for Belfort to go in the UFC. He’s still enough of a star to keep fighting because of his history with the promotion, but his pool of potential opponents is small due to his recent failings.
Belfort is leaving an impressive legacy. The Brazilian star holds UFC records for most knockout wins in company history (12) and most first-round finishes in UFC history (13). He also won the light heavyweight title in 2004.
Vitor Belfort (26-13, 1 NC) earned a unanimous decision victory against Nate Marquardt (35-18-2) in his home country. A leg kick from Marquardt got things started in the fight. They tied up and Marquardt scored a takedown. Both men were stood back up. Belfort went high with a kick that got the crowd in Brazil […]
Vitor Belfort (26-13, 1 NC) earned a unanimous decision victory against Nate Marquardt (35-18-2) in his home country.
A leg kick from Marquardt got things started in the fight. They tied up and Marquardt scored a takedown. Both men were stood back up. Belfort went high with a kick that got the crowd in Brazil excited. Not a whole lot of action transpired for the next minute. An inside leg kick was there for “The Great.”
Round two began and Belfort looked to be waiting too much as he did in the opening frame. “The Phenom” finally swarmed with strikes and a knee. A leg kick found the target for Marquardt. Belfort was once again taking his foot off the pedal. Blood formed under the eye of Belfort. “The Great” blocked a high kick. The round ended shortly after.
The final frame began and there wasn’t a lot of action to start. Belfort blocked a couple of kicks. Marquardt was more active, but that isn’t saying much. Belfort had a short burst of energy. He landed a head kick. He stuffed a takedown. He began landing more, looking to steal the round and potentially finish the fight. The final horn sounded.
All three judges scored the fight for Belfort.
Final Result: Vitor Belfort def. Nate Marquardt via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Vitor Belfort (25-13) is going into his final fight at UFC 212 against Nate Marquardt (35-17-2). Belfort has had a fair share of ups and downs while Marquardt has more experience under his belt but has a similar pattern of victories and defeats. Both are pretty aggressive and have a tendency to give a knockout […]
Vitor Belfort (25-13) is going into his final fight at UFC 212 against Nate Marquardt (35-17-2). Belfort has had a fair share of ups and downs while Marquardt has more experience under his belt but has a similar pattern of victories and defeats. Both are pretty aggressive and have a tendency to give a knockout and take it as well. This could be one of the best MMA fights of the season although the betting odds right now are Nate Marquardt (+145) and Vitor Belfort (-185).
Belfort’s key wins have been against Luke Rockhold, Michael Bisping and Anthony Johnson (UFC 142). His notable losses have been to Jon Jones (UFC 152), Ronaldo Souza (UFC 198) and Gegard Mousasi (UFC 204). Despite closing 40, Belfort is still a fast fighter for his age and does retain some serious power in his kicks and punches. This is backed up with some solid defensive grappling, which is why this could be a close contest. The first cracker of a punch by elfort or Marquardt could spell victory for either.
What every punter should look out for is that Marquardt isn’t too comfortable facing Southpaws. Belfort also has an advantage when it comes to kicks so he has the ability to work from long range.
Nate Marquardt’s key wins have been against Demian Maia (UFC 103), James Te Huna (UFC Fight Night 43), and CB Dollaway (UFC on FOX 17). His key losses have been to Hector Lombard (UFC 166) ), Brad Tavares (UFC 182), and ), Thiago Santos (UFC 198). Yes, Marquardt does have the experience and is a skilled jiu-jitsu player. But patience is not one of his virtues. He won’t want to end up with battering of kicks from Belfort. That is something he is sure to remember from the past. Combinations and takedown attempts ought to be his game plan. This is because Belfort’s takedown defense is still sharp.
This could be a very close contest although this could go down as a KO in favor of Belfort.
MMA legend Vitor Belfort will be training with one of fighting’s most highly-regarded teams for the final fight of his career at June 3’s UFC 212. Photos surfaced on Alex Garcia’s Instagram of “The Phenom” training at Montreal’s famed TriStar Gym alongside Georges St-Pierre for his upcoming bout agianst fellow longtime veteran Nate Marquardt, a
MMA legend Vitor Belfort will be training with one of fighting’s most highly-regarded teams for the final fight of his career at June 3’s UFC 212.
Photos surfaced on Alex Garcia’s Instagram of “The Phenom” training at Montreal’s famed TriStar Gym alongside Georges St-Pierre for his upcoming bout agianst fellow longtime veteran Nate Marquardt, a move which Belfort later confirmed when questioned by MMA Junkie:
Belfort is unquestionably one of the most powerful knockouts in the short history of MMA, but he’s also undoubtedly fallen upon hard times during a disappointing streak of mounting knockout losses following his unlikely TRT-fueled knockout streak in 2013.
Matching him against Marquardt, who’s also a onetime great past his prime, is an excellent booking for Belfort’s last walk to the cage after recent match-ups with top middleweights like Kelvin Gaastelum, Gegard Mousasi, and ‘Jacare’ Souza. The fight gives him an opportunity to go out with a victory in his native Rio de Janeiro, something many longtime fans of MMA will be rooting for the Brazilian legend.
He’ll always be a polarizing figure, but controversy aside, Belfort secured and still boasts many UFC milestones and could realistically go down as one of them most exciting fighters in MMA history win or lose. Training with Zahabi and St-Pierre in Canada will certainly give him a great chance to deliver one last great performance for his many fans.
Vitor Belfort was very specific when making mention on social media Monday that UFC 212 will mark his final appearance inside the Octagon. Belfort will complete a 20-year journey with the UFC in June, taking on Nate Marquardt from Brazil. While “The Phenom” and former UFC champion is expected to end his fighting career, he […]
Vitor Belfort was very specific when making mention on social media Monday that UFC 212 will mark his final appearance inside the Octagon. Belfort will complete a 20-year journey with the UFC in June, taking on Nate Marquardt from Brazil. While “The Phenom” and former UFC champion is expected to end his fighting career, he […]
UFC legend Vitor Belfort reportedly has his final fight in the octagon ready to go. After an initial report from Combate, MMA Fighting has confirmed the UFC is targeting ‘The Phenom’ versus Nate Marquardt for June 3’s UFC 212 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in what will be Belfort’s last trip to the cage. Belfort
UFC legend Vitor Belfort reportedly has his final fight in the octagon ready to go.
After an initial report from Combate, MMA Fighting has confirmed the UFC is targeting ‘The Phenom’ versus Nate Marquardt for June 3’s UFC 212 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in what will be Belfort’s last trip to the cage.
Belfort is one of the fight game’s most transcendent stars as the only to have bridged the gap from the UFC’s “Dark Ages” to today’s evolved brand of mixed martial arts. The Brazilian knockout artist will go down as one of the most game competitors to compete in the octagon as well, having won a UFC Heavyweight Tournament title and the UFC light heavyweight title. He’s obviously seen better days in his decorated career, however, losing four of his last five bouts with all four losses coming by way of TKO.
Also a veteran of Pride and other MMA promotions, Belfort fought a who’s-who of legendary MMA talent and has only lost to the best in a 25-14 career that featured 18 knockout wins. A true testament to his warrior spirit, he’s fallen only to Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, Dan Henderson, Kazushi Sakuraba, Alistair Overeem, Jacare Souza, Gegard Mousasi, Chris Weidman, and most recently Kelvin Gastelum.
After losing to the rising TUF 17 winner this March, Belfort revealed his next fight would be his last after admitting his body could no longer compete with the best fighters in the world after so many years and wars.
That’s a long list of unforgettable UFC stars a fighter would be hard-pressed to even face half of throughout a career. Belfort also owns wins over Couture, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, Rich Franklin, Luke Rockhold, two over Henderson, Heath Herring, and of course, UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping.
It’s that unreal record which “The Phenom” should be most remembered for, but unfortunately two drug test failures (one in Pride and one out of competition in the UFC) cast a severe cloud over his legacy, the second of which ended his highly controversial run as the poster boy for testosterone-replacement therapy (TRT) when he knocked out Bisping, Rockhold, and Henderson with huge head kicks in the span of roughly 10 months in 2013.
True, he’ll always be equated with performance-enhancing drugs, yet his impact on the growing sport of MMA – throughout its frowned-upon early years and the public popularity of today – cannot be denied.
He’ll look to end his illustrious run on a high note against Marquardt, another middleweight who’s fought a long list of legends, in his native Rio de Janeiro on the Jose Aldo/Max Holloway-headlined event. He was rumored to potentially face former rival Anderson Silva, but “The Spider” shot down the fight by citing he wanted an opponent who won his last fight after Kelvin Gastelum was forced out of the bout for failing an out-of-competition USADA drug test for marijuana metabolites.
In possibly the final fight of his UFC career, Vitor Belfort went out a winner with a unanimous-decision victory over Nate Marquardt at UFC 212 on Saturday in Brazil. 