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Former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort first won the division’s belt in 2004, but had a chance to do it again eight years and could not pull the trigger. When the ‘Phenom’ stepped into the cage on short notice to take on then champ Jon Jones, he came close to snapping his opponent’s arm with a tight armbar in the first round, but did not finish the submission.
Consequently, Belfort himself ended up losing the fight via keylock submission the fourth round of the their fight at UFC 152. However, seeing the chance to win the title slip through the Brazilian’s fingers left many fans and pundits wondering just what happened at that precise moment.
So why didn’t Vitor Belfort break Jon Jones’ arm?
Now 11 years after the matter, Vitor Belfort discussed in detail why he could not finish Jon Jones in their UFC title fight. In an interview on Jota Jota podcast (transcribed by Tatame, translated by Bloody Elbow), the ever religious athlete used a biblical analogy to explain what happened in that fight so many years ago.
“In that Jon Jones fight, I only reaped what I sowed. I could have ripped that arm off. So why didn’t I? Because I didn’t. I was a lamb when I should’ve been a lion. I went into that fight with a fractured rib. That was the only day when Jon Jones was in extreme danger in his career. The only fight that he practically lost and then managed to turn it around. I think he was a great lion and I was a great lamb. I realized that when I signed a contract from my spiritual father and my spiritual brother.”
There is a time to be a lion and to be the lamb in the UFC
Shortly after, Vitor Belfort explained why he enjoys the lion and the lamb analogy so much and emphasizes how there is a time to be both of them in life. Although he now knows he should have been the lion against Jon Jones, the UFC vet says there is also times when you should be the lamb, even while fighting.
“When I signed that contract, it said ‘I’ll never show mercy to my opponent or try to be a sportsman.’ A sportsman is someone who obeys the rules and he will try to follow them. I wasn’t a sportsman, I was being Jon Jones’ buddy. I should’ve ripped his arm off, it was the time for me to be the lion.”
“The lion and the lamb are two Jesus symbols that I find very interesting. When he dies on the cross, he dies as a lamb, but he comes back as a lion. I think that’s cool. I have to be both the lion and the lamb. When I’m at home, I’m the lamb. When I’m with my kids, I have to be the lamb. When I’m working, I’m both the lion and the lamb, depending on the moment.”
Vitor Belfort retired from MMA in 2018, but is still boxing
Now retired from MMA, Vitor Belfort (26-14-1 NC) said goodbye to the sport following a knockout loss to Lyoto Machida, back in May 2018. The defeat came right after the 46-year-old’s most recent win, when he defeated Nate Marquardt via unanimous decision in June 2017.
Though he has put his MMA days behind him, like many other former mixed martial artists, Belfort has been trying his hand at boxing lately. In his 2021 return to the ring, the Phenom won a controversial match against legend Evander Holyfield by knocking the then 59-year-old retired athlete. The Brazilian followed up that win with a unanimous decision win one over fellow UFC veteran Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza, in April of this year.
