Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort, 41, of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil may be the next mixed martial artist making a move from the Ultimate Fighting Championship to ONE Championship. On February 21, 2019, ONE Championship chief executive officer Chatri Sityodtong took to Facebook to share a photo of himself with the Brazilian MMA fighter.
The photo was taken at the headquarters of ONE Championship in Singapore. The martial arts organization will hold “ONE: Call to Greatness” at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on February 22, 2019.
Born on April 1, 1977 in Rio de Janeiro, Belfort was 12 years old when he started his boxing training under the tutelage of Claudio Coelho. Eventually, Belfort received his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Carlson Gracie.
As an MMA fighter, Belfort has been competing since 1996 and he joined the UFC in 1997. He was the last MMA fighter to reign as the light heavyweight champion of the now-defunct MMA organization Cage Rage Championships, which was based in England.
On January 31, 2004, Belfort became the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion by dethroning Randy “The Natural” Couture, 55, of Roseburg, Oregon, United States at “UFC 46: Supernatural” at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. However, the American fighter redeemed the title during their rematch at “UFC 49: Unfinished Business” on August 21, 2004 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.
The last time Belfort won was on June 3, 2017 when e defeated Nate “The Great” Marquardt, 39, of Denver, Colorado, USA via unanimous decision at “UFC 212” at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. On May 12, 2018, Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida, 40, of Salvador, Bahira, Brazil knocked out Belfort via front kick at “UFC 224” at the Jeunesse Arena.
Belfort now holds a professional MMA record of 26 wins, 14 losses and 1 No Contest. ONE Championship has yet to confirm whether or not he is the only UFC fighter attending “ONE: Call to Greatness.”
CONAN Daily 