Cung Le wanted to fight in Bellator before retiring

Cung Le wasn't absolutely done with his MMA career after announcing his retirement from the sport last month.

According to the former Strikeforce middleweight champion, Le hoped for another fight outside the UFC Octagon following his August 2014 loss to Michael Bisping in Macao.

After a lengthy back-and-forth with the UFC wherein he was initially suspended because of a positive test for human growth hormone (HGH), Le was reinstated after the promotion realized the result wouldn't withstand scrutiny due to lab errors and lack of proper follow-up.

"I put my life on the line and they threw me under the bus. I'd have fought for (Bellator CEO) Scott (Coker) if they had let me out of my contract," Le told Dave Meltzer of MMAFighting.com.

Le had history with Coker, as he was the president of Strikeforce when the 42-year-old competed under their banner earlier in his career. Instead, Le was forced to retire as a member of the UFC because of his contract.

"The only reason I'd fight now would be for a mega fight or if Scott Coker asked me to do a retirement fight. I'm not getting any younger. If I don't focus on my next career, that ship might sail without me."