MMA fighters and retirement often mixes like oil and water.
The latest fighter to renege on their retirement is Vitor Belfort, who was announced to have signed with One Championship in the early hours of this morning.
BREAKING NEWS: I am thrilled to announce that UFC Legend Vitor Belfort is now a ONE Championship athlete! A former UFC Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight World Champion, Vitor holds the record for the most KOs in UFC history as well as the 2nd most finishes. #WeAreONE pic.twitter.com/Sbf15KPPua
— Chatri Sityodtong (@yodchatri) March 1, 2019
Belfort announced his retirement in the Octagon after getting knocked out by compatriot Lyoto Machida at UFC 224 last May.
Shortly after, he announced he was looking to return to the cage.
One Championship have made some waves recently, earning headlines for acquiring Demetrious Johnson in a famous first-time trade between MMA promotions, with Ben Askren going the other way to the UFC.
One have also signed the likes of Eddie Alvarez and Sage Northcutt to bolster their fighter roster with recognisable names.
Belfort has been around the sport for a long, long time. He won the UFC 12 heavyweight tournament aged just 19. Since then, he’s been a perennial contender for the middleweight and light heavyweight UFC belts, as well as competing in now-defunct promotions such as Pride, Strikeforce and Affliction.
As One Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong outlines in the above tweet, Belfort holds the record for the most knockouts in UFC history with 12.
At present, it’s unclear when Belfort will make his debut with One Championship and who his first opponent will be.
