5 times a fighter blatantly cheated to win a fight in the UFC

#5. Vitor Belfort – vs. Rich Franklin at UFC 103, 2009

Vitor Belfort used illegal punches to the back of the head to stop Rich Franklin

I could quite easily have written about Belfort’s testosterone-fuelled victories over Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson in 2013 here, but given that at the time, testosterone replacement therapy was totally legal, that wouldn’t be totally fair. So instead I’ve gone for one Belfort victory that came via completely illegal means and somehow largely went ignored – I’m talking about his win over Rich Franklin at UFC 103.

The fight was Vitor’s big return to the Octagon following four years in the wilderness, and the idea was that with a win, Vitor would earn himself a title shot at Middleweight champ Anderson Silva. In a strange move, the fight was to be contested at 195lbs rather than 185lbs, but that was a small detail. It was a close fight to call, but in the end, it turned out to be a blowout – Belfort finished the former champion knockout in the first round. Except for the majority of the punches, he used to separate Franklin from his consciousness were clearly illegal blows to the back of the head.

Franklin was first hurt by a cuffing left to the back of the head, but as he’d moved his head into such a position, it’s understandable that referee Yves Lavigne chose to let that one go. What was more unforgivable was his decision to ignore three, possibly four clear shots to the back of the head as Franklin was on all fours – shots that finished off ‘Ace’ for good. Given the typical accuracy of Belfort’s shots you have to wonder if the placement was intentional – and given other fighters such as Erick Silva have been disqualified for similar things, you have to wonder how Vitor got away with it.