HIGHLIGHTS! Thomas Almeida, Vitor Belfort Steal Sao Paulo Show With Killer KOs!
HIGHLIGHTS! Thomas Almeida, Vitor Belfort Steal Sao Paulo Show With Killer KOs!
More than nine years ago, longtime mixed martial arts (MMA) veterans Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson first went to war under the now-defunct PRIDE FC banner, a light heavyweight fight that saw "Hendo" emerge victorious by way of unanimous decision.
Watch the full video replay from PRIDE 32 here.
Adding insult to injury, Belfort was popped for steroids in the wake of his defeat and fled to Europe to compete for Cage Rage. Henderson, meanwhile, went on to squash Wanderlei Silva at PRIDE 33 before signing a new deal with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Where he would eventually grant "The Phenom" a rematch at UFC Fight Night 32 in late 2013.
Cory Braiterman with the enthusiastic play-by-play:
A minute has passed and nothing has been thrown. Then literally a second later at 3:59, Dan jumps in and was either off balance or got hit by a short right and goes down. Belfort is swarming on Hendo, but Hendo isn't out of it and is climbing up. Hendo stands and IS PUT TO SLEEP BY A HEAD KICK! HE WON BY ANOTHER HEAD KICK! HOLY CRAP HENDO'S JAW FINALLY GOT CRACKED!
TRT-tor was "fucking spectacular."
Unfortunately for "The Phenom," the fountain of youth ran dry back in 2014, when athletic commissions -- even this one -- said goodbye to the controversial treatment. What we've seen from Belfort since then has not been impressive, but then again, he went from an 18-month layoff right into a title fight against the best middleweight in the world.
This may be the real test.
For much more on Saturday night's UFC Fight Night 77 event click here.