What does “cinturão” mean in Portuguese fighting?

A cinturão is a big belt, and in combat sports it is the championship belt, so the word stands for the title itself. Brazilian commentators say a fighter is indo buscar o cinturão, “going to get the belt,” or fighting valendo o cinturão, with the belt at stake. Note the gender: the regular belt is o cinto, while o cinturão is the larger, heavier version.

The UFC promo announces that a new champion will be crowned in the peso mosca division, and the flyweight class has a fun name: mosca is “fly,” the insect. The fighter Natália Silva says “Estou indo buscar esse cinturão,” using ir + infinitive for a near-certain plan. The same title-belt vocabulary appears for boxing (cinturão dos pesos-pesados) and even for other sports.