Vitor Belfort Announces He Will Face Alain Ngalani in One Championship Debut

Vitor Belfort appears to have an opponent for his One Championship debut.

In an interview with Asian MMA, the former UFC champion revealed that he will square off against Alain Ngalani at a future event. The bout has not been confirmed by the Singapore based promotion, which recently postponed all cards through May.

“I like it,” Belfort said of the matchup. “He’s a very tough competitor and very skilled and very strong. A big man. That’s what I’m looking for, for a good challenge.”

Nicknamed “The Panther,” Cameroon’s Ngalani has compiled a 4-5 mark with one no contest while competing exclusively under the One Championship banner. All of Ngalani’s bouts have been contested at heavyweight, but it is currently unclear if that will also be the case for his fight with Belfort. Ngalani last appeared at One “Reign of Valor,” where he suffered a first-round technical knockout loss to Mauro Cerilli in May 2019.

Belfort, 43, signed with One Championship in February 2019 following a short-lived retirement. “The Phenom” hasn’t competed since falling to Lyoto Machida via second-round knockout at UFC 224 on May 12, 2018.