Twenty years later, the story of the disappearance of Priscila Belfort, sister of Vitor Belfort, remains unfinished.
In January 2004, Belfort prevailed over Randy Couture to earn the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight throne. Instead of celebrating the victory—a doctor stoppage due to a cut inflicted to Couture’s eyelid—Belfort broke down in tears in his post-fight interview. “The Phenom” revealed that his sister had disappeared earlier in the month. As of September 2024, she still has not been found.
The harrowing tale of the Belfort family will be shown in a four-part documentary series titled “Volta Priscila,” or “Come Back Priscila.” It will air on Disney+ in Brazil on Sept. 25. It is currently unclear whether the documentary will be dubbed or subtitled in English for international release.
Priscila disappeared on January 9, 2004. At the time, the sister of Vitor worked at the Municipal Department of Sports and Leisure in Rio de Janeiro, and was kidnapped when leaving for lunch. Since then, she has never been seen again. Between theories and false clues, the search for her is endless, full of tortuous paths, shadowy characters and more questions than answers, including a plot involving police, drug trafficking and the mainstream media. Priscila was 29 years old at the time of her disappearance and would be 49 today. A ransom request was never made for her release, something that was highlighted from the beginning of the investigation. The police point to the case as a possible murder, but the family believes that she is still alive.
The series was created by Eduardo Rajabally, with research by Bruna Rodrigues and collaboration with the Belfort family. Belfort briefly spoke to Sherdog about the documentary’s release, where he discussed how the search will not stop until she is located.
“It is impossible to describe the daily pain we have been going through for 20 years, day after day. My mother and I collaborated by providing testimonials, photos and unpublished videos. The doc will show why we still have faith to find her,” Belfort explained.
