I’m sure you all remember Vintage Vitor Belfort. Excuse me, that’s “Victor” for all you ‘90s UFC fans. Questionable substances aside, the man knew how to put on a show through his own brand of unrelenting violence.
If you ask me which one of Belfort’s pre-USADA fights stands out, it’ll always be the first UFC event in Brazil (a.k.a UFC 17.5) in 1998. It was when the 21-year-old “Phenom” took out a fellow lethal finisher in the form of a 22-year-old Wanderlei Silva.
There are so many notable mentions in this clip to signify the UFC’s toddler years: Mike Goldberg’s higher-pitched voice, Bruce Buffer’s minimalist suit, shirtless dudes in the crowd, a baby-faced Big John McCarthy.