Vitor Belfort: 'I'm Not Retiring' After UFC 224, 'But This Is My Last Fight'

Vitor Belfort said that while he isn't retiring, his UFC 224 clash with Lyoto Machida on Saturday will be the final fight of his illustrious career.

Belfort gave a somewhat confusing answer when asked about his status Tuesday, according to Dann Stupp and Fernanda Prates of MMAJunkie:

"I'm not retiring because when you retire, you're still getting paid. I'm not getting paid, so I'm not retiring. But this is my last fight. That's important because people say, 'OK, what's the legacy you're leaving?' Legacy is not what I did for myself. It's what I'm doing for the next generation. So I think I'm leaving one of the biggest legacies in the sport, for sure, worldwide. And I'm not retiring because I'm not getting paid after I finish [fighting], so I'm looking for jobs. I'm looking for opportunities."

The 41-year-old Brazilian boasts a career record of 26-13 with one UFC Light Heavyweight title reign to his credit.

With regard to his future, Belfort suggested the possibility of aiding in the UFC's continued growth in other ways: "But this is my last fight, for sure, and I'm very content with what I accomplished in this sport. But I still believe I can contribute so much with the sport, and I love what the UFC is doing, creating the [UFC Performance Institute] and creating all that. But we have so much left to do."

UFC 224 will be a fitting end to Belfort's career since it is taking place at Jeunesse Arena in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro.

Also, he is facing a countryman in Machida, who boasts an impressive resume in his own right with a record of 23-8 and a run as UFC Light Heavyweight champion.

After three consecutive losses, Machida is coming off a win over Eryk Anders in February. Belfort also won his last fight against Nate Marquardt at UFC 212 in June 2017.

Belfort and Machida will open Saturday's main card with Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington headlining in a bout for the UFC Bantamweight Championship.