Jones and Belfort fought at UFC 152, in September 2012. Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Former UFC champion Vitor Belfort wrapped up his career with the organization on May 12th with a loss to Lyoto Machida in Rio. The “Phenom” left his pair of gloves in the Octagon, symbolizing the end of the road. But it seems like Belfort’s fighting spirit is still alive and well.
Belfort’s retirement also meant that he would get a lot of messages on social media. One came from Jon Jones, the former welterweight champion who beat him at UFC 152 — although Belfort was close to applying a winning armbar. Said Jones:
Enjoy your retirement brother, you deserve it. Thank you for the magnificent fight, learned a lot about myself that night. Nothing but respect for you @VitorBelfort
Ps I know my arm would have been a nice little trophy for you, maybe we can run it back sometime in the future. Charity jujitsu match or something ??
The message echoed far and wide. And so Graciemag reached out to Belfort for a response.
“Fighting jiu-jitsu is in my DNA,” he told us. “I’m known for my knockouts, but my root is Carlson Gracie jiu-jitsu. It would be a pleasure to have time to dedicate myself to the art that put me in the sports world and put my training to the test.”
Do you have a favorite in this theoretical BJJ match? Let us know in the comments.
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