UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar has signed a new deal with Bellator.
The runner-up on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter is not only expected to fight but to do guest commentary as well.
Bonnar hasn’t competed professionally since an October 2012 non-title loss to then-middleweight champion Anderson Silva. It is expected that he will take on another new Bellator addition in Tito Ortiz for his first bout.
“I want everyone to know I’m coming out of retirement because it’s time to free the MMA world of the virus that’s known as Tito Ortiz,” Bonnar stated. “We’ve been suffering through his boring fights for too many years, and it’s about time that someone beats it out of him once and for all.”
“Stephan is a guy that has been a huge part of this sport, and we are excited have him part of the roster,” Bellator President Scott Coker stated. “He was one half of probably the greatest and one of the most important fights in MMA history, and it happened on Spike. When you look at our light heavyweight division, with names like (Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson), Tito, (Muhammed ‘King Mo’ Lawal), Emanuel Newton and others, there are a lot of fights Stephan can be involved in. Big fights against big names. After talking to Stephan, I know that’s what he wants, and we want to provide that to our fans.”
