Belfort UFC contract does not end Saturday night
Brazil’s Combate reports that, in fact, Belfort has one more fight on his UFC contract.
Vitor Belfort began fighting professionally on October 11, 1996. In 2004 he won the UFC light heavyweight championship. Aided by hard work and performance enhancing drugs, both legal and not, Belfort fought on and on and on.
In 2013 he had one of the great runs in the sport’s history, beating Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold, and Dan Henderson, all by head kick KO. Then the use of legal TRT was effectively ended in MMA; Belfort has gone 1-4 since, with all losses coming via TKO or KO, although the latest loss to Kelvin Gastelum was overturned after the winner tested positive for the demon weed marijuana.
At 40, Belfort has one more fight, vs. Nate Marquardt, 38, at UFC 212 on Saturday night. Last month he told Daniela Passoa for Brazil’s Veja Rio, Belfort that he may fight on, but not in the UFC. This followed remarks after his last fight that Saturday’s fight would be the last on his contract.
But it’s not.
Brazil’s Combate reports that, in fact, Belfort has one more fight on his UFC contract. The UFC could release Belfort from the contract, but that would in all likelihood hand a high-profile fighter to Bellator MMA, which is not something the league is likely to do.