Skip to content

Belfort pummels 'Jacare' in pro boxing match

Douglas P. DeFelice / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Seven years after losing to him in the UFC, Vitor Belfort got revenge against Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza in boxing.

Belfort defeated Souza via unanimous decision (58-54, 58-54, 57-55) in a pro bout, which served as the Gamebred Boxing 4 co-main event, Saturday night in Milwaukee.

"The Phenom," a former UFC light heavyweight champion, outworked Souza over the course of six rounds. He had the crisper and harder punching. He dropped Souza twice in the third round and hurt him again in the final stanza.

The two first met in the Octagon at UFC 198 in 2016, with Souza dominating Belfort with grappling en route to a first-round TKO win.

With Saturday's victory, Belfort improves to 2-0 as a professional boxer. The Brazilian was coming off a knockout win over Evander Holyfield in a September 2021 exhibition bout.

Souza, who was making his boxing debut, retired from MMA after a submission loss to Andre Muniz in May 2021 and hadn't competed since.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox