UFC 224 went down tonight at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janerio, Brazil. The card was headlined by UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes taking on challenger Raquel Pennington. Opening the card, meamwhile, were Brazilian legends Vitor Belfort and Lyoto Machida.
Vitor Belfort had his swansong tonight at UFC 224 against fellow Brazilian Lyoto Machida. Yet it certainly wasn’t the ending the UFC legend envisioned. The fight started very tentative for both fighters, as both were trying to make reads on the other. Lyoto looked to work the body and land kicks as he moved forward on Vitor. Lyoto would land more kicks as Vitor rushed in. Vitor rushed in again and tried to land big shots on Lyoto, but Machida got out of there quickly. The round ended as Lyoto threw a kick that was caught by Vitor, who then landed a quick right hand.
The second round began with Lyoto Machida continuing to keep Vitor Belfort on the outside and land kicks. Lyoto was giving a bunch of different reads and looks to keep Vitor on his toes. Lyoto then looked for a kick — and kicked Vitor right in the face! It’= was all over, Vitor was out cold! A front face kick finish! Lyoto stood over Vitor’s body and bowed. Not the ending Vitor wanted or deserved, but another highlight for ‘The Dragon.’
Lyoto Machida knocks Vitor Belfort out cold! 🐲 #UFC224 pic.twitter.com/3Nqcdn9MEE
— Alex Scaffidi (@alex_scaffidi) May 13, 2018
The Dragon! Another spectacular KO from @LyotoMachidaFW at #UFC224! pic.twitter.com/SWYGY64dyc
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) May 13, 2018
After the bout, Belfort assured friends and family that he was okay, and left his gloves in the cage.
Lyoto Machida def. Vitor Belfort by knockout, Round 2, 1:00
