Vitor Belfort will enter the UFC Hall of Fame
UFC announced this Saturday that former light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.
Belfort (26-14) had an outstanding career in the UFC, which began in 1996. His arrival in the sport was impactful, a 19-year-old Brazilian who won the UFC heavyweight tournament in his first appearance in 1997.
That same year, he suffered the first defeat of his career in a fight for the number 1 heavyweight spot against the legendary two-division champion, Randy Couture.
Throughout his career, Belfort achieved significant victories over figures such as Wanderlei Silva, Couture, Rich Franklin, Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold, and Dan Henderson. He competed against two of the best champions of his time, Anderson Silva in middleweight and Jon Jones in light heavyweight, although he did not manage to win the title on either occasion.
In 2013, he had possibly the best year of his career, knocking out Bisping, Rockhold, and Henderson in a span of 11 months. That year, he became the center of a sports controversy due to the legal use of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). Subsequently, the Nevada State Athletic Commission banned the use of TRT in competitions without a proven medical exemption.
Belfort also competed in Pride Fighting Championships and participated in two exhibition boxing matches in 2021 and 2023.
