This past weekend (Sat. May 12, 2018) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort's mixed martial arts (MMA) career came to an end.

Belfort suffered a second round knockout loss to fellow former 205-pound champ Lyoto Machida in the opening main card fight of the UFC 224 pay-per-view (PPV). The Phenom ate a front kick to the face from Machida that rendered him unconscious. 

After the fight, the Brazilian announced his retirement from MMA and left his gloves in the Octagon to signal the end of his fighting journey - a journey that lasted well over 20 years.

For Belfort to have kept up that pace for two decades, not only fighting, but fighting the best the sport has to offer, is simply amazing. 

Over the course of his career Belfort has fought some of the greatest the sport has ever seen; such as Randy Couture, Wanderlei Silva, Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Alistair Overeem, Dan Henderson, Anderson Silva, Rich Franklin, Chris Weidman, and so many more.

One notable match-up that Belfort had in his MMA career was a middleweight title fight against fellow Brazilian and one of the greatest fighters of all time, Anderson "The Spider" Silva.

Back in February of 2011 the pair squared off against one another in the main event of UFC 126. Belfort was finished in the first round of that contest, interestingly enough, the same way he just lost to Machida - by front kick to the face.

Hardcore MMA fans who were watching Belfort's loss this past Saturday night immediately compared his loss to the one he suffered to Silva all those years ago.

Finally, a fan has made a comparison video highlighting the two. Belfort falls the exact same way in both videos! It's simply amazing to see. Check it out here:

Now, after 20 years of fighting in the most grueling sport in the world, Belfort can finally rest and enjoy his time off with his family. He's undoubtable a first-ballot UFC Hall Of Famer, and his legacy in the sport will live on forever.

What are your thoughts on Belfort deciding to hang up his gloves for good after his loss to Machida in Brazil? Do you think that he will stay away from the sport for good? And what do you think of the side-by-side comparison between Belfort's knockout losses to Machida and Silva? Let us know your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below!

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