MMA is a harsh and unforgiving game, which is why it’s so remarkable that Vitor Belfort has kept himself relevant in the sport for over 20 years.
“The Phenom” was once a UFC light heavyweight champion and is still a UFC tournament winner. He once possessed some of the fastest and most explosive striking in the sport, making him a legitimate knockout artist.
Perhaps more notably and notoriously, the Brazilian was once the poster boy for the UFC’s testosterone-replacement therapy (TRT) era, an era that saw Belfort, in 2013, run through top middleweights Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson with three consecutive head kick knockouts.
Unfortunately, the 39-year-old Belfort is no longer that same man, and to be blunt, he’s a mere shell of his former self.
Belfort has lost four of his last five fights, with all four of those losses coming by way of T/KO. The most recent loss in that stretch came in the main event of last night’s (March 11, 2017) UFC Fight Night 106 from Fortaleza, Brazil when Belfort was stopped by 25-year-old Kelvin Gastelum in the opening round.
“The Phenom” was dropped early on, but he was able to regroup and land back on his feet before a thunderous left hand from Gastelum, followed by a flurry of ground strikes, gave the referee no choice but to end the fight.
The loss added to Belfort’s concerning losing streak, but it also added to his steady physical decline that we have seen over the last few years.
His body is longer the same; he looks tired, worn down, and dare I say, old, a complete 180-degree flip from the physique he possessed during his vicious knockout spree that took place just a few years ago. Aside from that, Belfort’s chin has seemed to abandon him, as he simply doesn’t appear to be able to come back after getting clipped. “The Phenom” has always seen success in using an explosive blitz of powerful strikes, but nowadays, Belfort looks almost helpless in the octagon if that patented early blitz doesn’t land.
With one fight left on his current contract, Belfort has made it clear that he would like to fight one more time at UFC 212 on June 3, 2017 in his home of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It’s a reasonable request and one that should be granted given Belfort’s history of accomplishments in the sport, but his retirement bout shouldn’t come against another young and hungry prospect.
Belfort simply can’t compete with the division’s young, hungry contenders anymore, nor can he can compete with the division’s elite at this stage of his career. It’s clear that the best days of his illustrious career are behind him and perhaps it’s comforting that he too has realized that.
The Brazilian will likely remain a well-known name in the sport of MMA, and for good reason. His career speaks for itself, as he was once a young lion, even a Phenom, but those days have drifted away. Father time waits for no fighter and Belfort is no different.
There’s no shame in that. He shares the UFC record for most finishes of all-time with his countryman Anderson Silva, and he’s put on some of the most iconic knockouts on film. Belfort has nothing left to prove. He will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame the moment he is eligible. He doesn’t have to keep absorbing more damage to cement his legacy. It’s in place, and it’s a decorated one for a man who got in on the ground level of a now-thriving new sport.
It’s time for the old lion to leave the jungle once and for all.
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