Vitor Belfort has played football and teamed up with a former Brazilian national team defender < In Attack

One of the most famous figures in the history of MMA, Vitor Belfort, 46 years old, has once again made his name popular among combat sports fans since he challenged four-time world champion Acelino Popó Freitas to a boxing match.

Even though he has retired from the UFC since 2018, the fighter from Rio still leads a busy life with daily physical activity in the United States, where he lives with his family. His training routine and daily life with his wife Joana Prado and children are constantly shared by him on social media. One interesting fact about Belfort, however, that few people know is that he already tried his hand at football as a teenager and even teamed up with a former defender for the Brazilian national team.

Before winning the UFC belt in a heavyweight GP in 1997, when he was just 19 years old, Vitor Belfort played as a defender at CFZ, Zico’s club. On the team, he was paired with Juan, a former player for the Brazilian national team, Flamengo, Bayer Leverkusen, Roma and Internacional.

In an interview with ge.globo, in 2012, Vitor Belfort recalled the football partnership. “We were efficient and did the job of a defensive duo well. We almost always ended up as the least leaky defense in the competitions”, said the fighter.

“I think I did my part well, but I wasn’t as skilled as Juan, which is also why I became a fighter (laughs). Between the two of us, Juan has always stood out. I identified more with martial arts, as it is an individual sport, which depended solely and exclusively on me,” he said.

Belfort at Flamengo?

In 1999, Vitor Belfort was the protagonist of an unusual story involving Flamengo and Romário – the hero of the Brazilian national team.

That year, Romário, who was a fan of the so-called vale-tudo – a sport that preceded MMA – invited Vitor Belfort to represent Flamengo in the fights. Journalist Marcelo Alonso, from Vale Tudo Portaltold this story in a video published on YouTube.

After signing a contract with Flamengo, Belfort was even entitled to a presentation to the fans at a packed Maracanã in a match against Grêmio. “Circus set up, everything ready, Vitor was anxious, but Flamengo’s marketing people had a crazy idea”, began Marcelo Alonso.

“While the electronic scoreboard announced the signing of Belfort, the fighter Leandro Furtado wearing a Vasco shirt invaded the pitch and provoked the fans. The initial idea was for Belfort to take down and immobilize the fake Vasco player. The detail is that they forgot to notify security. And when Leandro entered the field, military police officers brought down their clubs. A tremendous confusion”, detailed the PVT journalist.

With the negative exposure of the case, Belfort had his contract terminated by Flamengo, before even competing in any fight representing the club.