[autotag]Vitor Belfort[/autotag] may be in the twilight of his career, but he’s certainly not slowing down as he looks to position himself for his next move.
Belfort (26-14) is one of the most recent big-name arrivals at Asian promotion ONE Championship, but the current coronavirus pandemic has put any plans for his debut on hold.
In the meantime, “The Phenom” has been hanging out with heavyweight boxing legend [autotag]Mike Tyson[/autotag] and recently attended the All Elite Wrestling (AEW) event, “Double or Nothing.”
The night out in Florida clearly made a big impression on Belfort, who now fancies his chances inside the squared circle. He even has a dream tag-team partner in mind.
“I think AEW should have Mike and myself do a tag team match against two of their champions,” enthused Belfort.
“Tony (Khan), the owner of AEW, is a good friend of mine. That, for me, is a great idea, and I’m open to it.”
While Belfort has never been involved in big-time wrestling, Tyson certainly has, and was even inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame back in 2012.
But for now, Tyson’s focus remains on making a return to the ring, with social media videos of “Iron Mike” hammering the pads with Rafael Cordeiro sparking discussion and anticipation about a potential return at the age of 53.
Belfort had some words of support for Tyson, too.
“It takes a lot of courage to step back in the ring, especially at that age,” he said. “I admire him for his bravery and wish him the best of luck. He needs to train smart, because what used to work for him before might not work for him now. This is new ground he’s discovering for himself, and it’s a wonderful journey.”
Tyson has been linked with a host of notable names for his ring return, with the likes of Evander Holyfield, Shannon Briggs, Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz all floated as possible opponents for “Iron Mike.”But Belfort said his fighting friend needs to think carefully before putting pen to paper on a bout agreement.
“He needs to make smart choices; the right opponent is key,” he explained. “He needs an opponent that will bring value to the market, and not just an opponent that will try to make some money.”
Of course, Belfort is also very much a veteran of the fight game, and he’s preparing for his own return to action.
The former UFC star signed to ONE Championship last year and is currently in talks over his debut fight, which is expected to see the Brazilian take on Cameroonian striker Alain Ngalani later this year.
It’s a stylistic matchup that should produce fireworks when ONE gets its schedule back up and running.
The big question is, will the two hard-hitting veterans of the fight game both be celebrating victories in their next fights?
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