Rory MacDonald officially signs with Bellator

Free agent Rory MacDonald announced his move from the UFC to Bellator MMA in dramatic fashion with an appearance at Bellator 160 on Friday.

In a short interview, MacDonald said that the promotion made him an offer he couldn't refuse. He added that he plans to go after both the 170- and 185-pound belts.

News broke earlier this week that the UFC had declined to match the offer from Bellator MMA for the one-time welterweight title contender. MacDonald declared his intentions to explore free agency after a decision loss to Stephen Thompson in June.

MacDonald finished his UFC run with a 9-4 record, and at the time of his departure he was still in the top-5 of the promotion's official rankings.

Bellator MMA president Scott Coker tweeted a picture of him welcoming MacDonald to his roster.

"There's no denying that Rory MacDonald was the cream of the crop when it came to free agents in MMA," Coker said in a statement.

"As I say all the time, if there is a free agent out there, we're going to talk to them, if they fit our model, we're going to make a hard push to bring them over here. I'm very happy that we were able to work out a deal with Rory, and I can't wait to see him bring his menacing style to the Bellator cage."