UFC legend Vitor Belfort has some big dreams for his life after fighting.
Brazil’s Belfort debuted with the UFC way back in 1997. He enjoyed several prominent runs with the promotion. His final run came to an end after a knockout loss to Lyoto Machida in 2018. Highlights of his resume include a light heavyweight title win in 2004, multiple title challenges, and victories over stars like Luke Rockhold, Dan Henderson, and Michael Bisping.
In the end, Belfort was impressive enough in the Octagon to earn a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame, which was announced during UFC 315 last Saturday.
The Hall of Fame induction put Belfort right back in the centre of the MMA news cycle, and during a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, he shared some pretty interesting plans for the next phase of his career.
Not long ago, Belfort patented a new combat sports glove that is effectively a boxing glove that leaves the fingers exposed to allow clinching.
Belfort hopes to use this glove to launch a new hybrid combat sport — one that he believes would give boxers and MMA fighters equal footing.
The UFC legend explained the potential rules as follows:
“I patented this glove, as you know,” he said. “It’s creating a boxing fight where we MMA guys can grab the hands, the clinch, no elbows, no takedowns, just hands… Let’s see who has the best hands.
“The boxing clinch is one thing,” he added. “The MMA clinch is different. We’re not going to kick the boxers. We’re not going to take them down. But let’s see who has the best hands. Who can fight? Who can endure the grinding? That would be my dream, to combine these sports, as a hobby for both athletes.”
