UFC Latest News: Belfort U-Turns After Brief Retirement

Vitor Belfort could understandably walk away at 41 years old. Back in May, he seemingly made that clear following a knockout loss to Lyoto Machida at UFC 224 over in Brazil. It seems the 41-year-old mixed martial artist has had a change of heart.

Belfort made the announcement on the MMA Show, revealing he is a free agent and currently in talks with promotions regarding a return fight in 2019. With the decision, the Brazilian remains on course of fulfilling his earlier goal of fighting until the age of 40. And while nothing has been set on stone, it will be interesting if the planned 2019 fight will be his last. Will we hear another retirement announcement from him, win or lose?

The decision is likely to draw criticism, especially with Belfort dropping four of his last five. His fight against Kelvin Gastelum was overturned to a no contest but his latest track record is bound to draw varying opinions on whether he can still go on and handle the competition, MMA Mania reported. Regardless, he seems fully aware of what lies ahead and plans to listen to how his body will respond.

“You’ve got to respect your body and know the time to transition to what’s next. A lot of athletes cannot transition. They don’t have nothing to do after,” Belfort said.

It has been quite a journey for Belfort, who made his debut when he was only 19. This happened at UFC 12 way back in 1997. Looking ahead, he does have several options for both the UFC and Bellator MMA. He did praise ONE Championship although that seems to be it and nothing more. RIZIN FF is also another looming option for the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and Cage Rage World Light Heavyweight Champion.

Belfort, however, makes it clear that he is not returning for the money. Being around for quite some time in the sport, he feels he has plenty left in the tank. He does have his share of health issues moving forward. This includes competing with a huge bone spur in his shoulder, something he has been dealing with the last five fights. But it seems it may take more than that to keep him from entering the cage.

And with that set, the next question is who could Belfort potentially face? The names of Wanderlei Silva, Quinton Jackson, and Chael Sonnen were mentioned although nothing is official, MMA Junkie suggested.