Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort is walking out of Rio with a “W” next to his name, defeating Nate Marquardt via unanimous decision.
VINTAGE @VitorBelfort YESSSSS!!! #UFC212 pic.twitter.com/guTHl8aKBR
— UFC (@ufc) June 4, 2017
Vitor decided to play it safe throughout most of the fight, conserving his energy and waiting for the perfect time to land a knockout. For his part, Marquardt mostly did the same. Both fighters occasionally went in with some flurries, and there were points where Vitor looked like he was only a few strikes away from ending the fight, but the match went the distance.
Vitor’s retirement was, of course, the big question that most fans had on their minds when watching this fight. Belfort had said he was planning on making this fight his last, but he latter took what he said back, saying he wanted to continue fighting and also suggesting the UFC create a “legends” league for older fighters.
When asked if he was planning on making this fight his last, the 40-year-old Vitor said no. He still had five fights left on his contract, and he apparently wants to use all of them.
He promised his fans that he would come back to the next fight stronger than before.
