Vitor Belfort is one of the most well traveled UFC fighters when it comes to fighting promoters. He has fought with ONE Championships, Strikeforce, Pride FC, Affliction, and Cage Rage. 

He also spent a great deal of his fighting career fighting in the UFC. While fighting at the UFC he competed in the Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight, and Middleweight divisions. Belfort currently holds the Cage Rage Light Heavyweight champions title and the UFC Heavyweight Champions title. 

Today, we are going to take a deeper dive into Vitor Belfort’s UFC career. 

The UFC Years 

At the age of 19. Belfort had already made a reputation for himself. His first MMA fight took place in Hawaii where he beat a man that was 20 pounds heavier than him and 6 inches taller. 

This fight had caught the attention of the UFC bosses and Belfort was signed in 1996. At his first event with the UFC, Belfort defeated 2 fighters in a row and won himself the UFC 12 Heavyweight title. Not only was he the youngest ever fighter to win a UFC title but he also became the youngest ever fighter to win a match at the UFC. 

Belfort currently holds the joint record for most finishes in the UFC (14), it was in 1996 that he performed his first one. Tank Abbott was the first victim of Belfort’s boxing prowess. 

Throughout his time in the UFC, Belfort fought against Randy Couture 3 times. In their first fight Couture TKO’ed Belfort after 8:36 – this was his first UFC loss. Belfort won the second fight after accidentally damaging Coutures eye. When their third match took place a few weeks later, Couture won the match in the stoppage time of the final round. 

Before leaving the UFC for the first time, Belfort fought in both the Light Heavyweight and the Heavyweight divisions. He left the UFC for the first time in 1999. 

Belfort returned to the company in 2001 – he lost his first match and won his second. During this period his most notable matches were with Randy Couture and with Tito Ortiz. He left the UFC again in 2005. 

During this break, Belfort fought for PRIDE, Strikeforce, Affiliated, and Cage Rage.

Belfort made a big return to the UFC in 2009. He beat Rich Franklin at UFC 103 – they were headlining that night. 

During his third era with the UFC Belfort fought in the Heavyweight division, however, he started to lose the majority of his matches and moved down to the Light Heavyweight division before moving down to the Middleweight division. 

He ended his career with a 26-0-15 record from 41 matches. 

After leaving the UFC, Belfort signed with ONE Fighting Championship, however, he left before taking part in any of their events. There are rumors that Belfort may be rejoining the UFC in 2022. You can see the odds on this or any other UFC odds here.  

Outside the UFC 

Belfort lives a fairly private life. He has three children with his wife. The pair had broken up but appeared together on a reality show and they ended up being reunited. They had stayed together since this show. 

The area of his life that Belfort speaks most openly about is the disappearance of his sister. She disappeared in 2004 and she has yet to be found. A group of women came forward and said that they had kidnapped and killed his sister but Belfort does not believe this is the truth. 

Aside from fighting with the UFC, Belfort has fought with ONE Championships, Strikeforce, Pride FC, Affliction, and Cage Rage. He also has a 1 for 1 record as a professional boxer. 

Belfort also won a Bronze medal at the ADCC World Championships in 2001 – for his home country, Brazil. Belfort is originally from Brazil but he became a naturalized US citizen in 2018.