Souza TKOs Belfort in the first round
The co-main event of UFC 198 featured a middleweight bout between Vitor Belfort and Jacare Souza that could determine the next top title contender.
The co-main event of UFC 198 featured a middleweight bout between Vitor Belfort and Jacare Souza that could determine the next top title contender.
“Jacare,” a former Strikeforce middleweight champion, rolled over former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort on Saturday night in Curitiba, rendering him a bloody mess before earning the TKO win at 4:38 of the opening round of the co-feature bout.
Souza (23-4, 1 NC), an eight-time World Jiu-Jitsu Championships gold medalist, didn’t need long to get Belfort to the mat, then start reigning down punches and elbows. The fight was briefly stopped as the cageside doctor checked the wicked cuts on Belfort’s face.
Belfort was cleared to continue, but things didn’t get any better from there. Souza once again found himself in a dominant position and once again laid down the ground and pound, at one point look up at the referee to see if he was going to call it off. Eventually, the bout was waved off.
Official Result: Jacare Souza defeated Vitor Belfort by TKO (Strikes, Round 1, 4:38)