Vitor Vieira Belfort, also known by his ring name “The Phenom”, was born on the 1st April 1977, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and is a former mixed martial artist, probably best recognized for being the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, as well as the UFC 12 Heavyweight Tournament Champion. He is also known as the last Cage Rage World Light Heavyweight Champion, and for posting notable victories over Luke Rockhold, Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin, and many other noted fighters. His career was active from 1996 to 2016.
So, have you ever wondered how rich Vitor Belfort is? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that the total size of Vitor’s net worth is over $5.5 million, as of late 2016, with the main source of this amount of money being his successful involvement in the sports industry as a professional MMA fighter.
Vitor Belfort Net Worth $5.5 Million
Vitor grew up and started his fighting career in Rio. While still just a boy, he became interested in various kinds of fighting, so he started training with Carlos Gracie, who was one of the primary developers of modern Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil. Initially, he was training with one of Carlos’ students who told him that Vitor needed to train with Carlos because he was too tough for the other fighters in the gym. At the age of 19, he move to the USA in order to pursue a career in mixed martial arts, by competing with more serious fighters in more important competitions.
After coming to the USA, Vitor fought his first sanctioned mixed martial arts match called “Superbrawl” in Hawaii, defeating his opponent in just 12 seconds by knockout, despite the fact that his opponent had a lot of advantages such as height, weight and experience. Afterwards, he moved on to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he was given the nickname “The Phenom”. In his debut event there, he won the “UFC 12” Heavyweight Tournament, becoming the youngest fighter to ever score a victory inside the octagon. He fought three more battles in the UFC, one of which was a defeat from very successful and popular wrestler at the time, Randy Couture, all of which added a considerable amount to his net worth.
Soon after, he moved on to fighting in Japan’s PRIDE Fighting Championship, where he fought Japan’s and world’s best mixed martial arts fighters. In the following years, he returned to the UFC where he won and lost the title of the “UFC Light Heavyweight Champion”. In 2006 he was accused of using an illegal substance and therefore suspended for nine months.
However, suspension didn’t discourage him. He returned to fighting as efficient and skillful as ever. With his background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu along with solid submissions on the ground and take down defense, he also possessed excellent boxing skills. Hence, he won over 30 fights at the best and most reputable mixed martial arts competitions. As of May 2016, he was the #9 contender in official UFC middleweight rankings, maintaining his net worth. However, he announced his retirement from MMA on the 15th October 2016.
Regarding his personal life, Vitor has been married to Joana Prado since 2003, with whom he has three children. They now live in Boca Raton, Florida.
