Vitor Belfort
ONE Championship adds Vitor Belfort to mixed martial arts lineup. Coach Vitor Belfort of Brazil looks on before Gilbert Burns´ (not shown) featherweight bout during the UFC 179 event at Maracanazinho on October 25, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Getty Images/Buda Mendes

ONE Championship made a major announcement recently, revealing that they have signed 41-year-old Vitor Belfort to the promotion. The entry of the "Phenom" further bolsters the roster of ONE FC, although it was not mentioned which division the Brazilian would be invading.

Folks who have been following ONE Championship updates closely were hardly surprised since CEO Chatri Sityodtong had already teased Belfort's coming. This was back on Feb. 21 where he posted a photo of him and the former champion and mentioned that there was big news on the way.

From the picture alone, it was pretty clear that the ONE CEO was ironing out a deal with Belfort. And it looks like they finally came to an agreement on March 1 when ONE FC formally announced the signing of Belfort. Also, it would be best to take note that the Brazilian mixed martial artist is not the last one with Sityodtong adding that there are more fighters coming over to the promotion to showcase their skills in Asia, Manila Bulletin Sports reported.

"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 in the official release from ONE Championship.

Belfort has competed in three different weight classes throughout his career. He has competed in the middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight division. Of the three, most know that the heavyweight division has been dominated by Brandon Vera.

"The Truth" has been perfect so far with no worthy opponent giving him much of a fight. His last was against Mauro Cerilli in Manila, someone he disposed of via knockout in record time.

Belfort could face Vera and challenge him for the title next. It seems like a sensible clash although nothing has been set. If not there, Belfort could crash the middleweight division and see if how good the current crop over there really is. Among the popular names in the ONE Championship middleweight division include Aung La Nsang, Vitaly Bigdash, and Igor Svirid.

Belfort announced his retirement back in May 2018 when he lost to Lyoto Machida via knockout. Then in December, he made it known that he wanted to come out of retirement - eventually leading to the recent blockbuster announcement by ONE Championship.

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