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by providing testimonials, photos and unpublished videos.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.