Four MMA legends have been back in the news again, and you’ll be able to read what they are up to beneath.
Bellator Books Lyoto Machida vs. Chael Sonnen
Bellator has been book legends struggles and this time that the advertising has signed a light heavyweight contest between Lyoto Machida and Chael Sonnen. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani affirmed the reservation, though Bellator hasn’t announced a date or location for the contest as of yet. Notably, the competition will occur at 205lbs after Machida last competed at middleweight and Sonnen at heavyweight.
Machida (25-8) defeated Rafael Carvalho via split decision in his Bellator introduction and beat both Eryk Anders and Vitor Belfort before that at the Octagon in what was a comeback 2018 for»The Dragon.» Though he is 40-years-old now, Machida showed last year that he still has a lot of gas left in the tank. Many believed he was next in line to get a rematch against Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi, but rather he will move back up to light heavyweight with this big fight against Sonnen.
Sonnen (31-16-1) is 2-2 at Bellator and is coming off of a TKO loss to Fedor Emelianenko in the semifinals of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix. Prior to this, Sonnen had defeated Quinton»Rampage» Jackson from the tournament quarterfinals and Wanderlei Silva prior to that. Though he is 41 now and no longer an elite fighter, Sonnen proceeds to property big-name matchups because of his entertaining struggles and vibrant personality.
So far as the gambling line goes, look for Machida to be a big favorite in this one. His strong takedown defense skills combined with vicious knockout power against a chinny fighter such as Sonnen makes this an extremely favorable matchup on paper.
ONE Championship Inks Vitor Belfort
After a year’s signings of Eddie Alvarez, Demetrious Johnson and Sage Northcutt, it seems the ONE Championship isn’t done signing former UFC fighters just yet. The Singapore-based MMA advertising announced over the weekend it’s signed former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort into a brand new, multi-fight contract. Belfort was released from the UFC after declaring his retirement following a KO loss to Machida in May 2018, but ONE gave him an offer that he can not deny, and he will end his short lived retirement when he fights for ONE after this year, probably in Brazil because the advertising looks to expand in South America.
ONE hasn’t declared who Belfort’s first opponent will be, but there are loads of options for him. Most likely Belfort will be ticketed to a heavyweight fight since he won’t need to reduce weight in that circumstance. ONE could easily give Belfort a title fight against their heavyweight champion Brandon Vera, but they might want to give him an easier battle against a journeyman such as James McSweeney. Roger Gracie is the promotion’s light heavyweight/cruiserweight winner, but he has not fought in a couple of years. Perhaps ONE could book that fight in Brazil. As well, Belfort said he would be interested in boxing and boxing fights. I personally think the 41-year-old Belfort should have stayed retired, but at least he’ll make some great cash under the 1 bannerads. Cro Cop Retires
Legendary heavyweight Mirko Cro Cop has retired, just weeks after a decision win over Roy Nelson in Bellator. Based on reports, Cro Cop suffered a stroke and must retire. Cro Cop (38-11-2, 1 NC) will retire at age 44 among the best heavyweights to compete in the sport. He’ll retire to a 10-fight win series, one which saw him struggle and compete all over the world for the best promotions in MMA. We at MMAOB wish Cro Cop the very best of luck .
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