Vitor Belfort to Come out of Retirement, Hasn't Signed with a Promotion

Vitor Belfort plans on making a comeback to mixed martial arts, the 41-year-old announced to ESPN.com's Ariel Helwani on Monday.

Belfort also confirmed he has yet to sign with an MMA promotion.

The Brazilian last fought at UFC 224 in May, losing to Lyoto Machida in a second-round knockout. Speaking with MMAjunkie's Dann Stupp and Fernanda Prates, Belfort said he wasn't formally retiring but that his defeat to Machida would be his final fight.

Considering Belfort has three defeats in his last five fights—his defeat to Kelvin Gastelum in March 2017 was subsequently ruled a no contest—a return to UFC might be a bridge too far.

During his interview with Helwani (h/t MMAjunkie), Belfort mentioned ONE Championship, Bellator and Rizin FF, implying they could be possibilities.

"I could not choose a better time for me to be a free agent and what I can bring to the table," he said. "I'm looking to add value and what I'm really looking for—I see that we need a change. I'm a fighter and an athlete."

Bellator in particular makes sense with the way it has welcomed ageing fighters who once starred in UFC.

Based on his reputation, Belfort should have plenty of options at his disposal as he weighs up his next move. He's also not so far removed from his last fight that he'll be a complete shell of his old self when he steps inside the cage again.