Las Vegas – UFC today announced that former UFC light heavyweight champion and UFC® 12 heavyweight tournament winner Vitor Belfort will be inducted into the 2025 Class of the UFC Hall of
Fame as a Pioneer. The 2025 UFC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place as part of the 13th Annual UFC International Fight WeekÔ, on Thursday, June 26, at T-Mobile Arena, and will be streamed live, exclusively on UFC FIGHT PASS®.
“Vitor Belfort was 19 years when he was signed by UFC and he quickly made an impact by becoming the youngest athlete to win a UFC fight, and UFC tournament,” said UFC President & CEO Dana White. “Vitor was a pioneer of the sport and is definitely a UFC legend. It will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”
Belfort will enter the UFC Hall of Fame as the 20th member of the Pioneer Era Wing. The Pioneer Era Wing includes athletes who turned professional before November 17, 2000, (when the unified rules of mixed martial arts were adopted). Other requirements include a minimum age of 35 or those who have been retired for one year or more.
A veteran of 41 fights during his 22-year MMA career, Belfort registered a record of 26-14,1 NC (20-14,1 NC – UFC / PRIDE / Strikeforce), securing victories over UFC Hall of Famers Wanderlei Silva, Randy Couture, Rich Franklin, Michael Bisping, and Dan Henderson (Fight Wing); former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Bobby Southworth, former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nate Marquardt, and former Pancrase heavyweight champion Kazuo Takahashi.
At age 19, Belfort made his professional MMA debut on October 11, 1996, by competing in SuperBrawl 2 in Hawaii. Despite a seven-inch height discrepancy and 100-pound. weight disadvantage, Belfort defeated his opponent, Jon Hess, via knockout in 12 seconds of the first round to launch his career. He immediately signed with UFC following his victory.
Belfort made his UFC debut as a heavyweight by entering the tournament of UFC® 12: JUDGEMENT DAY, which took place on February 7, 1997, in Dothan, Alabama. He defeated his opponents, Tra Telligman and Scott Ferrozzo, both via first-round TKO, to win the heavyweight tournament.
Belfort returned to action three months later, defeating fan favorite Tank Abbott via TKO in 52 seconds during UFC® 13: THE ULTIMATE FORCE, which took place on May 30, 1997, in Augusta, Georgia. The win helped establish Belfort as a rising star and earned him a fight against Couture at UFC 15.
UFC® 15: COLLISION COURSE tookplace on October 17, 1997, in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Belfort and Couture faced off in the co-main event with the winner facing then-UFC heavyweight champion and future UFC Hall of Famer Maurice Smith at UFC Japan.
Couture would defeat Belfort via TKO eight minutes into the first round to hand him his first loss as a professional. Belfort would win his next two fights against Joe Charles and Wanderlei Silva at UFC Japan (December 21, 1997) and UFC Brazil (October 16, 1998), respectively, bringing his record to 6-1. His fight with Couture would also set the stage for two exciting rematches down the road, as both athletes would continue to ascend in popularity.
For the next three years, Belfort won four of his next five fights in PRIDE, with his only loss to future UFC Hall of Famer Kazushi Sakuraba.
Belfort returned to UFC as a light heavyweight on June 22, 2002, losing a decision to UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell in the main event of UFC® 37.5: AS REAL AS IT GETS. He would return to his winning form one year later, defeating Marvin Eastman via TKO in the first round of UFC® 43: MELTDOWN, on June 6, 2003, in Las Vegas.
The win earned him his first title shot and a rematch against Couture in the main event of UFC 46. UFC® 46: SUPERNATURAL took place on January 31, 2004, in Las Vegas. The highly anticipated fight was cut short due to a doctor stoppage 49 seconds into the first round, and Belfort was crowned the new UFC light heavyweight champion.
Belfort would give Couture an immediate rematch at UFC® 49: UNFINISHED BUSINESS on August 21, 2004, in Las Vegas, where he would lose the title due to doctor stoppage in the third round. He would lose his next fight to future UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz in the main event of UFC® 51: SUPER SATURDAY on February 5, 2005, ending his second stint with UFC.
Over the next four years, he would win six of his next nine fights across numerous fight promotions, including Strikeforce and PRIDE, before returning to UFC to face Franklin in the main event of UFC® 103: FRANKLIN vs. BELFORT. Belfort would win his return fight with a memorable KO of Franklin, re-establishing himself as a star inside the Octagon.
For the next nine years, Belfort would compete against the top contenders in the UFC middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. He would fight for both titles, losing to UFC Hall of Famer Anderson Silva and Jon Jones. He also secured unforgettable victories over Bisping, Rockhold, Henderson and Anthony Johnson during this stretch. His last victory came in 2017, as he defeated Nate Marquardt via unanimous decision at UFC® 212: ALDO vs. HOLLOWAY, in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro. He retired after his next fight, losing via KO to former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida during UFC® 224: NUNES vs. PENNINGTON on May 12, 2018, in Rio.
Belfort enters the UFC Hall of Fame with an impressive resume that includes:
UFC:
Most first-round finishes in UFC history – 13
Knockouts in 90 seconds or less – 10
18 first-round finishes in 26 career wins
Outside the Octagon, Belfort is an accomplished author, having his autobiography Vitor Belfort: Lições de garra, fé e sucesso published by Thomas Nelson Brazil in 2012. In 2013, he won the Knockout of the Year for his KO of Luke Rockhold in the main event of UFC® on FX: BELFORT vs. ROCKHOLD during the Fighters Only World MMA Awards. Belfort also spent time inside the boxing ring, winning both of his professional matches in 2006 and 2023.
A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he began training in boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the age of 12. By the age of 18, he was a black belt under Carlson Gracie and had captured Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu Championships in the absolute and heavyweight divisions. In 2001, he returned to compete in ADCC, winning the bronze medal in the absolute division. He currently lives in Florida, with his wife and children.
Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer, Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a passion for Combat Sports and also a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s also a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.
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