Former UFC champion Vitor Belfort officially retires following UFC 204

Former light heavyweight champion and MMA pioneer Vitor Belfort has officially retired from mixed martial arts.

Following his co-main event fight with Gegard Mousasi, which he lost via TKO, former UFC champion Vitor Belfort announced his retirement from MMA.

Quem não conhecesse os seus erros não é digno de liderar a si mesmo, quanto mais as pessoas que o cercam. Reconheço que não sou perfeito, sou somente HUMANO , um SER HUMANO. O poeta já escreveu : " – que o amor seja eterno enquanto dure." Esse é um belíssimo trecho de um poema. Porém eu o considero ingênuo. Com todo carinho e respeito ao poeta, peço permissão para reescrevê-lo da seguinte maneira: " – QUE O AMOR SEJA ETERNO ENQUANTO SEJA CULTIVADO." Confesso que preciso cultivar meu desejo pela competição dentro do octógono. Sei que tenho que zelar por aquela chama que sempre ardeu em mim. Tendo conhecimento pleno disso: " – DECIDI QUE CUSTE O QUE CUSTAR VOU REACENDER MAIS UMA VEZ ESSA CHAMA." Muito obrigado pelo carinho e apoio. Vou finalizar esse capítulo na minha vida, olhando no espelho e reconhecendo a mim mesmo. Who does not recognize your own mistakes it is not worthy to lead yourself, even less the people around him. I recognize that I am far from perfect, I am only human; a human being. Once a poet in Brazil wrote: " – may love be eternal while it lasts. It is a beautiful fragment of a poem, but a truly consider it naive. If I may and with all do respect, I would re write it like this: " – may love be eternal while we nurture it." I confess that I need to nurture my competitive will inside the Octagon. I must cherish that fire inside of me again. Having recognized that to myself; I DECIDED TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO BURN THAT FLAME AGAIN! Thanks a lot for all the support and advices. But I decided that I will end this chapter of my life looking at the mirror and recognizing myself. @mundoboxing

A photo posted by Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort (@vitorbelfort) on Oct 15, 2016 at 1:01pm PDT

The 39-year-old mixed martial arts legend went 25-12 during his career, which was highlighted by winning the UFC light heavyweight champion back in 2004 and by winning the UFC 12 heavyweight tournament in 1997.

With an MMA career that spans an incredible three decades, from his UFC debut all the way back in 1997 at the age of 19, ‘The Phenom’ has blasted his way through 25 victories, with 18 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Belfort’s list of victims included knockout victories over Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold, Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin, and Dan Henderson twice.

‘The Phenom’ never shied away from the toughest fights available, taking on Anderson Silva for the middleweight championship back in Silva’s prime at UFC 126. Belfort once again jumped into the deepest end of the pool at UFC 152, where he nearly submitted then-champ Jon Jones with an armbar before eventually losing by submission himself in the fourth round.

After an incredible career resurgence in 2013, Belfort literally head-kicked his way to another title shot, this time against Chris Weidman. His 2013 run comprised of three brutal head-kick knockouts over Luke Rockhold, Bisping, and then Dan Henderson.

His first KO over ‘Hendo’ made him the first man to put away Henderson’s legendary chin, a feat Fedor Emelianenko, Wanderlei Silva, Shogun Rua and countless others could not accomplish.

Another feather in his cap, Belfort holds the record for most first-round finishes in UFC history.

What was your favorite Vitor Belfort victory? Sound off, PENN Nation!