Four MMA legends have been back in the news , and you can read what they’re up to beneath.
Bellator Books Lyoto Machida vs. Chael Sonnen
Bellator has been reserve legends fights and now that the advertising has signed a light heavyweight contest between Lyoto Machida and Chael Sonnen. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani affirmed the reservation, though Bellator has not announced a date or place for the contest as of yet. Notably, the contest will take place at 205lbs after Machida last competed at middleweight and Sonnen at heavyweight.
Machida (25-8) defeated Rafael Carvalho via split decision in his Bellator debut and defeat both Eryk Anders and Vitor Belfort earlier that at the Octagon in what was a comeback 2018 for”The Dragon.” Though he is 40-years-old now, Machida showed last year he still has plenty of gas left in the tank. Many thought he was next in line to get a rematch against Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi, but rather he’ll move back up to light heavyweight with this significant fight against Sonnen.
Sonnen (31-16-1) is 2-2 in Bellator and is coming from a TKO loss to Fedor Emelianenko at the semifinals of their Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix. Prior to that, Sonnen had defeated Quinton”Rampage” Jackson in the championship quarterfinals and Wanderlei Silva before that. Though he is 41 now and no longer an elite fighter, Sonnen continues to land big-name matchups because of his entertaining fights and vibrant personality.
As far as the gambling line goes, look for Machida for a big favorite in this one. His strong takedown defense abilities together with vicious knockout power against a chinny fighter such as Sonnen makes this a very favorable matchup on paper.
ONE Championship Inks Vitor Belfort
After last year’s signings of both Eddie Alvarez, Demetrious Johnson and Sage Northcutt, it seems that ONE Championship isn’t done signing former UFC fighters just yet. The Singapore-based MMA promotion announced over the weekend it’s signed former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort into some new, multi-fight contract. Belfort was released from the UFC after declaring his retirement after a KO loss to Machida in May 2018, but ONE gave him an offer that he can not refuse, and he will finish his short-lived retirement when he fights for ONE later this year, likely in Brazil because the advertising looks to expand in South America.
ONE has not announced who Belfort’s first opponent is going to be, however there are loads of options for him. Most likely Belfort will be ticketed to a heavyweight fight since he will not need to reduce weight in that case. ONE could easily give Belfort a name fight against their heavyweight winner Brandon Vera, but they may want to give him an easier fight against a journeyman such as James McSweeney. Roger Gracie is the advertising’s light heavyweight/cruiserweight champion, but he hasn’t fought in a couple of years. Maybe ONE could book that fight in Brazil. As well, Belfort stated he would be interested in boxing and boxing fights. Personally, I think the 41-year-old Belfort should have stayed retired, but at least he’ll make some great cash beneath the ONE 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 as one of the best heavyweights to compete in the sport. He’ll retire on a 10-fight win streak, one that saw him struggle and compete all over the world for the best promotions in MMA. We at MMAOB wish Cro Cop the top of luck in retirement.
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