UFC Fight Night: Devastating Belfort head kick puts Henderson away in 1st round
Vitor Belfort got back on the winning track and made history Saturday night with a first-round KO of Dan Henderson in the UFC Fight Night main event in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
His knockout, which came at 2:07 of the first round, allowed Belfort to pass former middleweight champion Anderson Silva's record with his 12th UFC knockout win.
Neither Belfort nor Henderson has been much for jabbing his way in or testing the water in fights. As such, each stood coiled to strike Saturday, without much action, for nearly two full minutes.
Then, as he did in 2013, Belfort connected with a high kick. This one was mostly foot on head, and Henderson leaned into it, increasing its effect.
The former Olympic wrestler staggered backward into the Octagon fence. Belfort followed up with two wide hooks that connected flush.
From there, Henderson tumbled to the mat and "The Phenom" continued his assault. Belfort connected with several left hooks to the head of the grounded Henderson, the last one knocking out "Hollywood".
A moment later, Henderson woke up, but the referee was observant enough to have seen what happened and stepped in to end the fight.
The finish brought the Sao Paulo stadium crowd to its feet and prompted Belfort to scale the Octagon wall in celebration. Belfort's record now stands at 25-11 overall.
The victory was the Brazilian's first since 2013 and his second stoppage win over Henderson in three fights. Belfort's previous fight was a first-round stoppage loss to champion Chris Weidman earlier this year.
Belfort then switched fight teams, from the Blackzilians to the newly-created OTB team, and insisted on getting back in the cage in the 19th year of his professional career. The adversity made this winning moment sweeter for him.
"Sometimes you fall down," he told the fans. "But, you pick yourself back up."
