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Vitor Belfort says Roy Jones Jr. has agreed to a fight in ONE Championship
There almost certainly are I’s to be dotted and T’s to be crossed, but right now Vitor Belfort says he’s got a comeback fight.
The 41-year-old Belfort (26-14 MMA) tonight posted a video on his Instagram and said 50-year-old boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. (66-9 boxing) has agreed to a fight in ONE Championship. There is no official announcement yet from the promotion.
Belfort this past week announced he was coming out of retirement and had signed with ONE Championship. No debut date or opponent was announced, nor was the possibility for what likely would have to be a special rules fight against Jones.
On Instagram, Belfort posted he had received an official response from Jones and thanked him for accepting the fight.
“I was in the middle of filming for an upcoming project (which I’m excited to share with you all soon
) when I got the official response from @RoyJonesJr so I thought I would share that little moment with you all,” Belfort posted. “I am very excited for what’s to come with @OneChampionship and this upcoming fight, I’m even more excited to be the first to bring you this new way of competition, it allows for the 1st time different worlds to collide in a way that’s fair and exciting!
Thank you accepting Roy and I am looking forward to this fight!”
Earlier this week, Jones told TMZ Sports he’d fight Belfort in a boxing match. He said he’d need six weeks to prepare, but would prefer eight weeks to give fans “the whole show.”
Belfort announced his retirement after a second-round knockout loss to Lyoto Machida in May 2018 at UFC 224 in Rio de Janeiro. Belfort is a former UFC light heavyweight champion, and in his most recent and final stint with the promotion fought for titles on three separate occasions.
A bonafide legend in the sport, Belfort has notable victories over the likes of Randy Couture, Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin, Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold, and Dan Henderson twice. Belfort has also faced other big-name stars such as Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, among others. He now looks to continue his legendary career with ONE Championship.
Belfort’s UFC contract came to a conclusion with the fight against Machida, marking the first time since 2009 that he wasn’t tied to the organization.
In the months since UFC 224, Belfort, 41, has infrequently hinted at a comeback. He’s mentioned the likes of Wanderlei Silva, Quinton Jackson and Chael Sonnen as potential opponents, but did not explicitly state any plans to fight.
For more on the upcoming ONE Championship schedule, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
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