BELLATOR BOOKS LYOTO MACHIDA VS. CHAEL SONNEN, ONE SIGNS VITOR BELFORT, CRO COP RETIRES

Four MMA legends have been back in the news , and you can read what they are up to beneath.
Bellator Books Lyoto Machida vs. Chael Sonnen
Bellator continues to book legends fights and this time that the promotion has signed a light heavyweight competition between Lyoto Machida and Chael Sonnen. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani confirmed the booking, though Bellator hasn’t announced a date or place for the competition as of yet. Notably, the contest 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 defeat both Eryk Anders and Vitor Belfort earlier that in 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 thought he was next in line for a rematch against Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi, but instead he’ll move back up to light heavyweight for this big struggle against Sonnen.
Sonnen (31-16-1) is 2-2 at 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 conquered Quinton”Rampage” Jackson from the tournament quarterfinals and Wanderlei Silva before that. Though he’s 41 now and no more an elite fighter, Sonnen continues to property big-name matchups due to his entertaining fights and colorful personality.
So far as the gambling line goes, look for Machida for a big favorite in this one. His solid takedown defense abilities combined 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 appears that ONE Championship isn’t done signing former UFC fighters only yet. The Singapore-based MMA advertising announced over the weekend it has signed former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort to 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 refuse, and he’ll end his short-lived retirement when he struggles for ONE later this year, likely in Brazil as the advertising looks to expand in South America.
ONE hasn’t declared who Belfort’s first competition is going to be, however there are loads of alternatives for him. Most probably Belfort is going to be ticketed into a heavyweight fight since he will not need to reduce weight in that circumstance. ONE could readily give Belfort a name fight against their heavyweight winner Brandon Vera, but they may want to give him an easier battle against a journeyman such as James McSweeney. Roger Gracie is your promotion’s light heavyweight/cruiserweight champion, but he has not fought in a couple of years. Maybe ONE could reserve that fight in Brazil. As well, Belfort stated he would be interested in boxing and boxing fights. I personally believe the 41-year-old Belfort should have stayed retired, but he’ll make some good money 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. According to reports, Cro Cop suffered a stroke and has to retire. Cro Cop (38-11-2, 1 NC) will retire at age 44 as one of the greatest heavyweights to compete at the game. He will retire on a 10-fight win streak, one which saw him struggle and compete throughout the world to find the best promotions in MMA. We at MMAOB wish Cro Cop the top of luck .
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