Bellator MMA has pulled off its biggest free-agent signing to date.
Three-time UFC title contender Chael Sonnen is coming out of retirement on a multi-fight deal with Bellator. The signing was confirmed by company president Scott Coker, according to Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting.
"Chael is an incredible athlete that has competed at the very highest levels of the sport," Coker said, "and I know that he is going to continue to do just that here at Bellator. When we were signing him, Chael was adamant that he wants to compete in three divisions here.
"He already has unfinished business with Wanderlei Silva, but he also wants to fight guys like Tito Ortiz, Fedor Emelianenko, and even Rory MacDonald at middleweight. These are all fights that I'd be very inclined to watch, so hopefully we can put some, if not all of these matchups together starting before the end of the year."
The signing was initially reported by Greg Beacham of The Associated Press.
Shortly after the news broke, Sonnen tweeted out a cryptic message:
The Rulers Back.
— Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) September 16, 2016
According to ESPN's Brett Okamoto, UFC president Dana White granted Sonnen a release from his current UFC contract.
The 39-year-old joins a number of UFC standouts who have recently made the jump to Bellator, including MacDonald, former lightweight champion Benson Henderson, and heavyweight veteran Matt Mitrione.
The news comes after months of speculation that he'd make his return to active competition. He re-entered the USADA drug testing pool in July, presumably in preparation for a comeback to the UFC, but it now appears he'll be fighting for a different promotion for the first time since 2009.
Sonnen himself doubted that he'd be able to pass USADA tests given the previous drug violations that led to a two-year suspension and a retirement in 2014. It's unclear whether the decision to sign with Bellator is related to his test results.
When asked which members of the Bellator roster he's interested in fighting, Sonnen hinted at a confrontation with the former UFC light heavyweight champion Ortiz, aka "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy."
I asked Chael Sonnen when and who he wants to fight first with Bellator: "The Bad Boy vs the Bad Guy in November, and that's a quote."
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) September 16, 2016
During two separate stints with the UFC from 2005-2013, Sonnen became one of the promotion's biggest draws. He compiled a 7-7 record, which involved heavily hyped fights against the likes of Anderson Silva and Jon Jones that seemed to raise the profile of "The American Gangster" whether he had his hand raised or not.
Sonnen has remained active in the MMA community with his "You're Welcome!" podcast and the Submission Underground grappling promotion that debuted in 2016.
