Gastelum knocked out Belfort in the main fight of UFC Fortaleza. (Photo: Getty Images)
It wasn't this time that Vitor belfort won again. Despite showing some flashes in his striking, the Brazilian was 'swallowed' by the aggressiveness of Kelvin Gastelum and was knocked out in the first, in the main fight of UFC Fortaleza, held this Saturday (11), at the Centro de Formação Olímpica do Nordeste.
This was Belfort's third consecutive defeat (all by knockout) who hasn't known what it's like to win since November 2015. After the setback, Vitor revealed that he intends to fight the last fight of his contract on the UFC 212 card, which will be held at Rio de Janeiro, June 3rd.
“I have one more fight in my contract, I would like to fight at home, in Rio de Janeiro, in my hometown. I'm sorry to everyone for the disappointment, but it's part of it”, declared the Brazilian, visibly devastated.
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Gastelum, in turn, scored his third consecutive victory and is establishing his name among the category's elite. In the post-fight interview, the charismatic fighter asked the audience to sing happy birthday to his mother, and was promptly responded to by the fans present at the scene.
“There’s a guy who started this, he’s a legend like Vitor. I'm ready for Anderson, on June 3, in Rio – said the fighter, who asked the audience to sing “Happy Birthday” to his mother, who had her birthday during his training camp”, said Kelvin.
The fight
The fight started with little action and a lot of study on both sides, with Gastelum surrounding Vitor around the Octagon. Kelvin tried a combination of punches, but was surprised by a good left counterattack from the Brazilian. Afterwards, the American hit Belfort with a good direct hit, which he felt. The fight returned to the center of the octagon and Gastelum landed a right bomb followed by a straight left, which led to Belfort being knocked down. The American went all out trying to settle the bill, but Vitor showed his heart and resisted the blitz he suffered. But for a little time. Gastelum landed another powerful left cross on Belfort, who fell already knocked out.
MAIN CARD
Average weight: Kelvin Gastelum derrotou Vitor belfort by technical knockout at 3:52 R1
Light Heavyweight: Mauritius Shogun derrotou Gian Villante by technical knockout at 4:1 of R3
Lightweight: Edson Barboza derrotou Beneil Dariush by knockout at 1m19s of R2
Flyweight: Ray Borg defeated Jussier formiga by unanimous decision of the judges (triple 29×28)
Bantamweight: Beth Pitbull and Marion Reneau ended in a majority draw (27×29, 28×28, 28×28)
Welterweight Weight: Alex Cowboy derrotou Tim means via submission (rear naked choke) at 2m51s of R2
PRELIMINARY CARD
Lightweight: Kevin Lee derrotou Francisco Massaranduba via submission (rear naked choke) at 1m42 of R2
Welterweight Weight: Serginho Moraes derrotou Davi ramos by unanimous decision of the judges (triple 30×27)
Bantamweight: Joe Soto defeated Rani Yaya by unanimous decision of the judges (29×28, 29×27, 29×27)
Lightweight: Michel Tractor defeated Josh Burkman via submission (north-south choke) at 1:42 of R1
Featherweight: Jeremy Kenned defeated Ron Jason by unanimous decision of the judges (29×28, 29×28, 29×27)
Average weight: Paulo borrachinha defeated Garreth McLellan via TKO at 1:17 of R1
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