One of the greatest and longest-tenured fighters in the history of MMA, let alone the UFC, will finally get his rightful spot in the UFC Hall of Fame.
The UFC announced that former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort is the latest name to join the UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
Belfort will be a part of the honor ceremonies on June 26, two days prior to UFC 317 and during the UFC's International Fight Week.
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Vitor Belfort Named To UFC Hall Of Fame 2025 Class
Belfort was a key figure in the UFC's earliest days, debuting as a 1-0 fighter at UFC 12 and winning the heavyweight tournament that evening. Belfort would fight four more times in the UFC before jumping to PRIDE. From 2002-2009, Belfort bounced around and competed for a number of promotions including the UFC, PRIDE and Strikeforce.
Belfort became UFC light heavyweight champion with a win over Randy Couture at UFC 46. He'd drop the title back to Couture in a rematch at UFC 49.
In 2007, Belfort would rebound in Cage Rage by winning its light heavyweight championship.
Belfort rejoined the UFC at UFC 103 in September 2009, competing until his retirement fight against Lyoto Macida at UFC 224 in 2018. During this stint, Belfort would challenge Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman for the UFC middleweight championship and Jon Jones for the light heavyweight championship, coming up short all three times.
Belfort joins a UFC Hall of Fame class that also consists of Amanda Nunes, Robbie Lawler, Craig Piligian, the UFC 236 clash between Kelvin Gastelum and Israel Adesanya and the 2025 Forrest Griffin Community Award winner, Charles Oliveira.