V. Belfort (left) catches N. Marquardt (right) in Rio (Photos: UFC/Montage: Super Fights)
Former light heavyweight champion Vitor belfort will fulfill his last wish as a professional MMA fighter. After announcing that he will hang up his gloves after the next fight, the Phenomenon asked for it to happen at UFC 212, in Rio de Janeiro. And that is what will happen. He will face former middleweight title challenger Nate Marquardt in the event that marks Ultimate's return to the Marvelous City. The information is from the Combate channel website, which reiterates that the agreement between the two athletes is still verbal, as the contracts have not yet been signed.
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At just turned 40, Belfort has been fighting MMA professionally since 1997. The Brazilian was champion of the UFC 12 heavyweight GP and, in the 46th edition of the event, he became light heavyweight champion, after beating Randy Couture. After leaving Ultimate to fight in other promotions, the Fenômeno returned to the promotion in 2009. During his new stint in the UFC, Vitor competed for the middleweight title on two occasions, losing to Anderson Silva e Chris Weidman. He comes from three consecutive defeats, the most recent to Kelvin Gastelum in March this year, at UFC Fortaleza.
Despite having less time in MMA than his opponent, Nate Marquardt can also be considered a veteran of the sport. With a professional record of 35 wins, 17 losses and 2 draws, “The Great” has more fights than Belfort himself. Like the Brazilian, he has already played in Japan, but for Pancrase, and challenged Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight title, losing by knockout in the first round. He briefly left Ultimate to fight in Strikeforce, where he was world welterweight champion.
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