Vitor Belfort teases rematch with Wanderlei Silva

ONE Championship star Vitor Belfort has teased the idea of a rematch with Wanderlei Silva, 22 years after their first encounter.

While his last fight may have taken place more than two years ago at UFC 224 when he was knocked out by Lyoto Machida, Belfort is ready to get back into the cage and officially end his retirement with ONE Championship.

The expectation is that he’ll end up fighting Alain Ngalani in his debut, but it appears as if Belfort has an alternate proposition.

Who would like to see this rematch?
Quem gostaria de ver essa revanche? pic.twitter.com/GaDr6BKoh5

— Vitor Belfort (@vitorbelfort) June 10, 2020

The last time Belfort went toe to toe with Wanderlei Silva was back in October 1998 at UFC Brazil with Belfort winning via TKO in just 44 seconds. A lot has happened for both men in the two decades since that night, and funnily enough, this isn’t the first time they’ve been linked with one another since then.

The pair coached opposite one another during The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, but the seemingly inevitable rematch was shelved after Belfort pulled out due to a broken hand. After that, he showed a lack of interest in fighting Silva and instead opted to look elsewhere.

Fast forward to the present day and in a recent interview, Belfort confirmed that his ONE debut was in the works before the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to it.

“So my agent has been taking to Chatri [Sityodtong] to finalize a fight, but then all of this came along,” Belfort told MMA Junkie. “It’s crazy. Everything is put on hold, but I’m definitely looking forward to step back into action and bring something (new), reinvent myself again. I think that will be the last time and for sure, I’m excited to go back to action.”

Silva’s last fight also happened in 2018, and it was also a losing effort as he was beaten via TKO by long time rival Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.