Vitor Belfort announces retirement after fight against Uriah Hall on Sunday

V. Belfort announces retirement (Photo: Reproduction Facebook ufc)

The trajectory of one of the biggest names in world MMA will come to an end next Sunday (14). Vitor belfort announced that the duel against Uriah Hall, at UFC Fight Night St. Louis, will be the last of his professional career. At 40 years old and dedicated to the sport for almost 22 years, the 'Phenomenon' will hang up his gloves. He will take on the role of businessman and promises to work to make the sport grow.

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“I'll start on Monday, when I start opening the gym franchises. I'm investing in my business. It's time to rest my body and open the gyms. I’m focused on my second journey,” he said, during the session with journalists before UFC St. Louis.

“Life is divided into seasons, and you need to recognize the seasons. I did more than enough. Sometimes I do flashbacks and I think, 'I'm still doing this, this is crazy!' I'm very grateful, but I think my body needs rest. I have other things, I have business. I developed a group training system that we are going to license. I want to help the sport in some way and do other things. We have to know when to start and when to end... Guys from my era never expected to be fighting (now), and I'm still relevant. This has been my journey, I have achieved a lot of good things, but I want to do big things. I’m entering my second journey in life, and I’m happy”, added Vitor.

Vitor Belfort's career

A black belt in jiu-jitsu under the legend Carlson Gracie, Belfort became famous in the world of fighting due to the speed of his hands. Owner of frightening knockout power, Belfort caught the world's attention at the age of 19 when he beat three opponents on the same night at UFC 12. This earned him the nickname 'Phenomenon', inspired by football striker Ronaldo .

In his career as an MMA fighter there were 26 wins, 13 losses and one “No Contest” (fight without result). Among Belfort's main achievements are the UFC 12 heavyweight GP – beating two opponents on the same night – in 1997, at the age of 19. The UFC light heavyweight belt in 2004, when he defeated Randy Couture and the English Cage Rage light heavyweight title.

Vitor would still compete for the UFC title on three other occasions: against Anderson Silva, on 2011, Jon Jones, in 2012 and against Chris Weidman, in 2015, but ended up defeated in all disputes.

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