Former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida has signed with Bellator MMA after fighting out his UFC contract at UFC 224 last month, ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reports.
Machida ended his UFC tenure with an emphatic front-kick knockout over fellow Brazilian MMA legend Vitor Belfort, which likely helped his bargaining power as he negotiated with both the UFC and Bellator. Machida was reportedly fielding offers from both promotions after becoming a free agent following his knockout of Belfort, but ultimately decided to try his luck outside of the promotion he’s fought for since 2007.
The 40 year-old karateka already holds wins over two titleholders in his new promotion: a knockout victory over Bellator light heavyweight champion Ryan Bader as well as a decision victory over newly-crowned middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi.
“The Dragon” is part of a general exodus of contenders and former champions from the UFC to Bellator; Mousasi and Rory MacDonald made the move last year, while Benson Henderson did so in 2016. Bader has flourished under the Paramount Network-backed promotion, picking up the 205-pound title as well as a recent 15-second knockout victory over Muhammed Lawal to advance in Bellator’s Heavyweight Grand Prix.
At UFC 98 in 2009, the then-undefeated Machida won the light heavyweight title with a highlight-reel knockout of Rashad Evans. “The Machida Era,” as UFC color commentator Joe Rogan famously called it that evening, would be short-lived; he defended the belt successfully only once, in a tightly-contested decision victory over Mauricio Rua, who would dethrone him in their rematch a few months later. After losing the belt, Machida remained a contender at light heavyweight as well as at middleweight and exits the UFC with a 16-8 Octagon record.