Belfort showed off the punching power that he became known for early in his MMA career, knocking out Yoshihiro Akiyama in just 1:52 in the co-main event at UFC 133.
Belfort knocked him to the ground with a right, then followed up with a flurry of body and face punches until Akiyama fell to the ground. Belfort then finished with two more strikes until Akiyama went limp and the bout was stopped.
This was Belfort's first fight since losing in a title bout to Anderson Silva at UFC 126. In that bout, Belfort was knocked out with a front kick, but he didn't show any signs of wear tonight.
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Watch Belfort-Akiyama highlights]
"I feel great. I feel like if he hadn't landed that kick, that's what would have happened to him," Belfort said of Silva in the cage after the fight.
He started with the UFC back in 1997, and was nicknamed the Phenom because of how he blew through so many top fighters. After a stint in PRIDE and other promotions, he returned to the UFC to knock out Rich Franklin, but then hit some injuries. After the loss to Silva, fight fans were left to wonder if he could return to his original form.
With this win, he leaves little doubt that he can, as he looked like the man who would blow through opponents like Wanderlei Silva and Randy Couture.
As for Akiyama, this is his third loss in a row in the UFC. His one win was a close split decision over Alan Belcher at UFC 100. After a fantastic career with K-1, he never quite reached his potential in the Octagon.
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