Following his UFC 212 victory, Vitor Belfort isn’t walking away from the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) just yet. “The Phenom” earned a unanimous decision win over Nate Marquardt last night (June 3) inside the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was his first victory since Nov. 2015. Even though Belfort wanted the […]
Following his UFC 212 victory, Vitor Belfort isn’t walking away from the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) just yet. “The Phenom” earned a unanimous decision win over Nate Marquardt last night (June 3) inside the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was his first victory since Nov. 2015. Even though Belfort wanted the […]
Vitor Belfort has credited a move to the renowned Tristar gym for stirring his will to keep fighting, but following his win over fellow veteran Nate Marquardt at UFC 212, the time is right for “The Phenom” to retire. If you followed Belfort leading up to his contest with Marquardt, then you know the Brazilian […]
Vitor Belforthas credited a move to the renowned Tristar gym for stirring his will to keep fighting, but following his win over fellow veteran Nate Marquardt at UFC 212, the time is right for “The Phenom” to retire.
If you followed Belfort leading up to his contest with Marquardt, then you know the Brazilian star’s plans for his fighting career have been in flux. After Belfort lost to Kelvin Gastelum in March, he said his next bout would be his last. Then Belfort reported that he wanted to keep fighting, but that he’d do so outside of the UFC. During fight week, however, the decorated fighter left the door open to more bouts with the world’s biggest promotion.
Well, “The Phenom” did end a three-fight winless streak on Saturday, by earning a decision win over Nate Marquardt, but it was far from a decisive affair. In fact, the decision could have gone the other way, and not too many folks likely would have disagreed.
After the win, Belfort said he plans to continue fighting, as he relayed earlier this week. But should he?
Now, at the end of the day, it’s up to Belfort and his family whether the 40-year-old should continue to fight. But, really, the timing is right, and one could even argue perfect, for “The Phenom” to hang up the gloves.
It’s been quite evident in Belfort’s recent outings that his hand speed and explosiveness are no longer the same. The middleweight showed glimpses of his finishing prowess during his bout with Marquardt, but at the end of the day, he was unable to add another stoppage to his resume. For much of the fight, Belfort appeared reluctant to pull the trigger. In some respects, he’s fortunate that his winless streak wasn’t extended to four.
So, when you consider where Belfort’s at in his career, and what transpired at UFC 212, it certainly seems like this is the right time to hang up the gloves. The star earned a win in Rio de Janeiro, in front of adoring fans, on the heels of three straight one-sided losses.
At this stage of the game, “The Phenom” has absolutely nothing left to prove, so why not head into the MMA sunset riding on a win rather than retire after another stoppage defeat like so many other legends have?
What do you think? Should Belfort continue to fight, or was his original plan still the best decision?
On the main card of last night’s (Sat. June 3, 2017) UFC 212 pay-per-view (PPV) from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort and Nate Marquardt collided inside the Octagon. Belfort came into the fight on a three fight losing streak, suffering knockout losses to the likes of Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, […]
On the main card of last night’s (Sat. June 3, 2017) UFC 212 pay-per-view (PPV) from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort and Nate Marquardt collided inside the Octagon.
Belfort came into the fight on a three fight losing streak, suffering knockout losses to the likes of Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, Gegard Mousasi, and Kelvin Gastelum. His most recent loss to Gastelum, however, was overturned to a No Contest after Gastelum was flagged by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
Marquardt came in off a loss to Sam Alvey in which he dropped a unanimous decision in January. Prior to his loss to Alvey, he had been in four fights that ended via knockout – winning two of them.
In Belfort and Marquardt’s meeting, they failed to put on a fight that got fans on the edge of their seats and in the end it was “The Phenom’s’ hand who was raised in front of his native Brazilian crowd for the unanimous decision win.
You can check out the full fight video highlights here:
Max Holloway won the undisputed featherweight championship with a third-round TKO victory over Jose Aldo in the main event of UFC 212 in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night.
Both Aldo and Holloway entered the matchup with legitimate claim to the title of …
Max Hollowaywon the undisputed featherweight championship with a third-round TKOvictory over Jose Aldo in the main event of UFC 212 in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night.
Both Aldo and Holloway entered the matchup with legitimate claim to the title of best 145-pound fighter in the world. Aldo is one of the greatest mixed martial artists already at the age of 30, with a 26-2 career prior to the bout, while Holloway came into the fight riding a 10-fight winning streak over the last three years.
In the end, Hollowaywas able to prevail and leave no doubt about the best fighter in the division.
UFC 212 Results
Featherweight Championship: Max Holloway def. Jose Aldo via TKO (third round)
Welterweight: Luan Chagas def. Jim Wallhead via submission (second round)
Flyweight: Deiveson Figueiredo def. Marco Beltran via TKO (second round)
Holloway’s win capped off his rise to stardom. The 25-year-old’s last loss was against Conor McGregor in 2013. McGregor’s career exploded after knocking out Aldo in 13 seconds at UFC 194 in December 2015.
This was Holloway’s biggest fight in UFC, and he made it count in grand fashion with a third-round stoppage.
After Holloway disposed of Aldo, social media expressed its respect for the Hawaii native:
Prior to the main event, the biggest story of the show was Vitor Belfort and Nate Marquardt fighting all 15 minutes.
Belfort in particular is not known for having long, drawn-out battles. Saturday marked his first match that went past the second round since his 2012 light-heavyweight title fight against Jon Jones and his first fight decided by the judges since Cage Rage 23 in 2007.
The judges awarded Belfort a unanimous-decision win, with all three scoring the fight 29-28 for the 40-year-old.
Following the win, Belfort didn’t sound like he was going to hang up his gloves anytime soon, per MMA Fighting:
This was Belfort’s first win since November 2015 against Dan Henderson. Retired UFC fighter Patrick Cote thinks this would be the perfect way for Belfort to end his long and storied career:
Whatever Belfort decides to do, getting a hard-fought and emotional win over Marquardt in his native Brazil was exactly what he needed after a difficult two-year stretch in the sport.
Holloway made himself a star on this night, but the entire card made this a highlight of the year for UFC. There were 12 total fights, with nine endings via stoppage.
It was a thrilling showcase for the Brazilian fans, even though their hometown hero was unable to capture the undisputed featherweight title in the main event.
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)
Max Holloway won the undisputed featherweight championship with a third-round TKO victory over Jose Aldo in the main event of UFC 212 in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday night.