Vitor Belfort needs little introduction. He is a tried and tested mixed martial artist who has been a heavyweight and light heavyweight champion in two different organizations. Even at 41, there is no denying that the man also known as "The Phenom" still has what it takes to compete inside the cage.
Vitor Belfort actually announced his retirement on May 12, 2018. This came after his loss to Lyoto Machida where he was knocked out in the second round. Several months after, the Brazilian fighter revealed his intentions of coming out of retirement and it turns out that he will be doing that with ONE Championship.
ONE Championship top brass Chatri Sityodtong teased last week a photo of him and Belfort. It was captioned: " Thank you to my bro Vitor Belfort for spending the day here at ONE Championship! Catch him tomorrow night cageside as my guest! And stay tuned for some big news! #WeAreONE" last Feb. 21.
For mixed martial arts fans, it was not hard to depict what would come next. And everything was made official today, Mar. 1, 2019 when ONE announced that they have just signed Belfort and that there are more fighters coming over to the promotion, Manila Bulletin Sports reported.
Belfort, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under the legendary Carlson Gracie, made his professional debut back in 1996. He has faced and won over popular mixed martial artists such as Randy Couture, Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin, Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold, Dan Henderson, Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, Chuck Liddell, and Tito Ortiz. Now he tries to continue his legacy under ONE FC.
"My management, Lloyd Pierson and Ballengee Group, guided me through this process with unmatched expertise. I would like to of course thank Chatri Sityodtong and ONE Championship, who gave me this great honor to fight in front of the Asian audience. ONE Championship is the Home of Martial Arts, and I plan to become a ONE World Champion in front of some of the best martial arts fans in the world,” said Belfort.
Belfort will address the lack of talent ONE Championship has in the heavyweight division. Brandon Vera has run roughshod over his opponents, the last of which was a curious knockout win over Mauro Cerilli last November.
If not that division, he could also make his way in the middleweight category where he could face stiff competition from the likes of Aung La Nsang, Vitaly Bigdash, and Igor Svirid. As of this writing, ONE FC has yet to confirm where Belfort will be competing.
