Gamebred Boxing 4 results: Vitor Belfort scores two knockdowns leading to decision win over ‘Jacare’ Souza

Vitor Belfort nearly scored a knockout, but he ultimately settled for a unanimous decision victory over Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in the Gamebred Boxing 4 co-main event.

The first half of the bout looked as if Belfort was going to end Souza’s night early, as he continuously tagged Souza with huge combinations that had the veteran grappler in trouble on several occasions. Belfort even managed a pair of knockdowns in the third round. It appeared as if the fight may be over, but Souza kept finding a way back to his feet.

Still, when the fight was over, it was clear that Belfort had done enough to win. The judges scored the contest 58-54, 58-54 and 57-55 in his favor.

There was hesitancy to engage at moments from both fighters at the start, as Belfort tried to set up a powerful left hand while continuously throwing overhand punches as well as uppercuts trying to catch “Jacare” coming forward. Souza was clearly the less experienced boxer, but he still put serious heat behind his shots, even if he was mainly throwing one punch at a time rather than setting up combinations.

As the third round began, Belfort still looked for that same left hand that was paying dividends for him, and he finally made “Jacare” pay. The former UFC champion leapt into a left hook that clipped Souza on the side of the head and put him down to one knee.

“Jacare” was able to continue, but Belfort went for the kill, going after his fellow Brazilian with hammer-like punches. There was no fear of reprisal as Belfort launched huge, blistering shots hunting for the knockout, with another left-right combination putting Souza down.

Once again, Souza was able to get to his feet, and this time he survived to the bell so he could recover in his corner.

On the restart, “Jacare” came out guns blazing as he looked to stage a comeback as Belfort began slowing down after putting a lot of energy into getting a finish in the prior round. Belfort’s labored movement allowed Souza to tag him repeatedly, including a punch that opened a cut over the eye of “The Phenom” as blood began trickling down his face.

While Belfort was clearly exhausted, he was still blasting Souza as the fight almost exclusively took place in a phone booth, with the Brazilians leaning into each other before unloading punches. There were moments where it appeared Souza was wobbled, although he never stopped moving forward while trading shots with Belfort.

Late in the final round, Belfort cracked Souza with several stinging punches, including an uppercut that looked like a potential knockout, but somehow “Jacare” absorbed the punishment and just kept coming.

When the final bell sounded, Belfort was gassed but still understandably happy to get his hand raised as he picked up another win, enjoying his new career in boxing while also celebrating his 46th birthday on Saturday.