Vitor Vieira Belfort (Portuguese pronunciation: ; born April 1, 1977) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the former UFC 12 Heavyweight Tournament Champion, and the Cage Rage World Light Heavyweight Champion. As of June 16, 2017, he is the #12 contender in official UFC Middleweight rankings.
Born and raised in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, Belfort began training in boxing at the age of 12 under Claudio Coelho. Belfort later studied Brazilian jiu-jitsu with Carlson Gracie, who gave him his black belt. Gracie scouted Belfort at the Brazilian National Jiu-Jitsu Championships, where he won the Absolute and Heavyweight titles for blue belts under age 18. Belfort, 17 at the time, was invited to compete at Gracie's gym where he trained with the likes of Murilo Bustamante, Ricardo Loborio, Ricardo De La Riva, Mario Sperry, and Wallid Ismail.