Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Florida:
After Oscar de la Hoya had to pull out of his main event slot versus Vitor Belfort, due to Covid-19; the card was moved to Miami. So not only did “The Phenom” have to deal with an opponent change, but a venue one as well. And as it turned out neither bothered him. But in the end, it was two Brazilians owning the night.
Taking on the Hall Of Fame icon Evander Holyfield; on paper at least, could leave some in awe. But the fact is he’s 58-years old, and looks every day of it. A perfect comparison would be Apollo Creed versus Ivan Drago. Except, Belfort is nowhere near Drago. Despite him looking a lot like his “TRT” version, than how he ended his MMA career.
Brazilians Own The Night
Neither the main event nor the co-main; Tito Ortiz against Anderson Silva saw the two-minute mark of the opening rounds. Back in 2011, at UFC 126, “Spider” famously face kicked Belfort to the land of wind and ghosts:
And in the lead-up to fight night, when asked about a possible rematch; Silva said absolutely not.
As a boxer, it seems he’s found a bit of a fountain of youth, with the head movement that made him an MMA legend and champion. “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” who missed weight, losing 20% of his purse off the bat, came out trying to take charge. But the 40 pounds he had to lose made him slow. And it was that lack of hand speed that Silva was able to read a mile away. And the result wasn’t hard to predict after a right and a couple of lefts:
The @SpiderAnderson KO hits different from ringside ? #SilvaOrtiz
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) September 12, 2021
(via @OmarESPN) pic.twitter.com/5tUEa9UwgK
Afterward, Silva wouldn’t commit to what’s next for him.
As for Holyfield though, he came out trying to establish a left jab. Belfort came inside and stung Holyfield to the body after the former 6-time champion slipped down to the mat. Smelling blood Belfort started to press on the gas. While it’s hard to imagine how and why the Florida State Athletic Commission allowed this to happen, thank god for referee Samuel Burgos. Now to be fair, none of those shots were rim breakers.
But a left uppercut that followed a left hook dropped Holyfield for what should be the very last time he’s in the ring. Getting up, Belfort fired away more than 18 unanswered shots before Burgos waived off the fight at just the 1:49 mark. Holyfield outside the ring said he wasn’t hurt, but was pushed, and got off balance. If he was 28 or 38, you can make the argument he could come back. But at 58, and only being hit, it was a good stoppage. Despite Holyfield disagreeing.
IT IS ALL OVER! @vitorbelfort STOPS EVANDER IN THE FIRST!!!
— FITE (@FiteTV) September 12, 2021
Catch the replay!#TRILLERFIGHTCLUB LIVE RIGHT NOW ON #FITE!
[ #HolyfieldBelfort | https://t.co/jpCvXLI1j3 ] pic.twitter.com/IwQgJUqQBB
Brazilians Own The Night, But Will A Callout Work?
Then post-fight Belfort and the heads of Triller all had a special message for Jake Paul. Fight Belfort, with the winner taking all of a $30 million purse. As they try to troll the troll.
.@vitorbelfort calling out @jakepaul!!
— FITE (@FiteTV) September 12, 2021
$25million WINNER TAKES ALL!#TRILLERFIGHTCLUB LIVE RIGHT NOW ON #FITE!
[ #HolyfieldBelfort | https://t.co/jpCvXLI1j3 ] pic.twitter.com/6UyoKnpIIF
