Vitor Belfort’s rise to prominence saw him grow to be a UFC champion at just 19 years old.
Randy Couture gave ‘The Phenom’ his first taste of MMA defeat via TKO at UFC 7 in October 1997.
Vitor Belfort bounced back with an armbar submission win over the unheralded Joe Charles.
In October 1998, the 5-1 Brazilian faced one other acid test in the shape of UFC legend Wanderlei Silva.
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Watch Vitor Belfort KO Wanderlei Silva
Wanderlei Silva also boasted a 5-1 record and was just getting began on his MMA journey.
‘The Axe Murderer’ had already earned a repute for having a granite chin and serious Muay Thai skills.
Belfort beating Silva wasn’t a shock, but the way in which he won made their UFC 8 clash legendary.
The tentative opening moments saw Silva press forward, attempting to land low leg kicks.
On the 37-second mark, he made a grave mistake by hopping into Belfort’s punching range.
The 21-year-old KO artist responded by blitzing forward with shots that sent Silva flying from one side of the UFC Octagon to the opposite.
Once Belfort had his opponent trapped against the cage wall, he knocked him out cold with a series of short left hands.
Just 44 seconds was all it took for Belfort to attain top-of-the-line wins of his Hall of Fame MMA profession.
Vitor Belfort vs Wanderlei Silva 2
Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva never fought again, despite happening to have 92 fights combined.
The old rivals were scheduled to rematch at a Brazilian boxing event last month. In the long run, Silva got knocked out cold during a post-fight brawl with the team of his substitute opponent, Acelino Freitas.
Silva was disqualified for repeatedly committing fouls against the previous two-time world boxing champion, who stepped in when Belfort suffered two concussions in training and withdrew from the exhibition bout.
Silva didn’t buy Belfort’s excuse, but he’s still enthusiastic about rebooking their rematch for 2026.
“This fight is scheduled for next 12 months,” he said last month.
“And that point, I hope he doesn’t run.”