Lyoto (left) beats Belfort (right) at UFC 224. Photo: Reproduction / Facebook @ufc
Vitor belfort hung up his gloves with a bitter taste in his mouth: the taste of his left foot. Lyoto Machida. In the fight that opened the main card of UFC 224 – also called UFC Rio 9 – Dragão made use of his karate skills to connect with a frontal stomp and knock out his compatriot in the second round. The result marked the last fight of the career of the 'Phenomenon' who left his gloves in the center of the octagon announcing his retirement.
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“Everything in life has a beginning, middle and end. I'm going to leave my gloves here because I think I've reached the end. Thank you for your kindness,” said Belfort.
If the result marked the end of Vitor's career, the triumph could be Machida's reaffirmation. The former light heavyweight champion, after accumulating three consecutive defeats between 2015 and 2017, recorded two consecutive victories in 2018.
The fight
The fight between Lyoto Machida e Vitor belfort started studying. The two fighters, who are known for their counterattack power, took more than a minute to launch their first attack. Throughout the first round, Machida relied on front stomps and leg kicks, while Belfort had quick explosions combining crosses. In one of Lyoto's kicks, Vitor caught the blow and tried to punch in the counterattack, but the attack missed him. The assault ended with a few connected blows and some boos from the public.
At the beginning of the second round, the fans, who until now had been divided, sided with Belfort. With shouts of 'Olé, olé, olé Vitor, Vitor', the public tried to push the veteran. Inside the cage, Machida continued stepping on the waistline, while Belfort bet on counterattacks with a two-punch combination.
In the first minute of the second round came the sensational outcome. With a karate base, Machida applies a beautiful front kick, the blow breaks Vitor's guard and connects squarely on the chin. Belfort went to the ground already knocked out. Out of respect for his rival, Lyoto knelt next to the knocked-out Vitor's body (see the video below).
The blow recalled two memorable moments in the athletes' careers. The knockout suffered by Belfort against Anderson Silva, in February 2011. Lyoto beat a rival in a similar way. at UFC 129, in April 2011, Machida knocked out Randy Couture and also retired the American
“Thank you all very much, much respect to Belfort, who did a lot for the sport and deserves our respect. Tomorrow is Mother's Day, these women who made us and give us so much love. Today I was fortunate to be better than him. We can never say that we are better than one another. Today I was better and got this victory. I was waiting for it to happen, waiting for it to happen. I saw the gap and landed the blow. Michael Bisping, I'm still waiting for you. If you want to retire, fight with me.”
UFC 224 Rio results:
main card
Bantamweight: Amanda nunes derrotou Rachel Pennington by technical knockout at 2m36s of R5
Average weight: Kelvin Gastelum derrotou Ronaldo Jacare in the judges' split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Straw weight: Mackenzie dern submitted Amanda Cooper with a rear naked choke at 2m27s of R1
Bantamweight: John Lineker defeated brian kelleher by knockout at 3m43s R3
Average weight: Lyoto Machida derrotou Vitor belfort by knockout 1m from R2
Preliminary Card
Middleweight: Cézar Mutante submitted Karl Robertson with a katagatame 4m45s from R1
Heavyweight: alexey oleynik finished Júnior Albini with an Ezequiel 1m45s into R1
Lightweight: Davi ramos submitted Nick Hein with a rear naked choke at 4m15s of R1
Welterweight Weight: Elizeu Capoeira derrotou Sean Strickland by knockout at 3m12s R1
Welterweight Weight: Warlley alves defeated Sultan Aliev by technical knockout (medical stoppage) 5m from R2
Average weight: Jack hermansson derrotou Thales leites by technical knockout at 2m10s of R3
Welterweight Weight: Ramazan Emeyev defeated Alberto Miná by unanimous decision of the judges (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Middleweight: Markus Maluko submitted James Bochnovic with a rear naked choke at 4:48 of R1
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