What will happen when Brazilian legends Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort face off at UFC 224?
Two Brazilian legends look set to throw down when ‘The Dragon’ meets ‘The Phenom’ later this year in Brazil. According to a report by MMA Fighting, former UFC champions Vitor Belfort and Lyoto Machida are being targeted for a bout at UFC 224. The event takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the fight taking place at middleweight. Both Machida and Belfort are former light heavyweight champions in the UFC.
Machida will enter the fight fresh off a win earlier this month at UFC Belem. There, he got back in the win column in a close split decision against Eryk Anders. Machida (23-8) was bloodied but unbowed in the fight, his first win since a 2014 finish of C.B. Dollaway. After the Dollaway bout, Machida was finished by Luke Rockhold, Yoel Romero, and Derek Brunson. He also served a lengthy suspension from USADA after declaring the use of a banned substance, sitting out 18 months as a result.
Vitor Belfort will also head to UFC 224 off a win, in his case against Nate Marquardt. That came back at UFC 212 in June. Belfort (26–13 (1)) had expected to be back in the cage earlier this year, in what was set to be his retirement fight. However, opponent Uriah Hall was taken to hospital as a result of a bad weight cut. Belfort’s fight was pulled from the UFC St. Louis card as a result.
UFC 224 takes place at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 12. No main event has been announced for the card. A bantamweight championship bout between Amanda Nunes and top 135lb contender Raquel Pennington remains a possibility however.
