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The MMA world was stunned yesterday, as it was announced that former UFC Middleweight title challenger Yoel Romero had signed with Bellator MMA.
With the move, Romero has become the second former UFC title challenger to move to Bellator in the past two weeks, following on from Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson last week. Johnson – who’s been retired since 2017 – was seemingly set for a UFC return, but instead, he’ll now be competing for their biggest competitor.
With both men set to compete in Bellator’s Light-Heavyweight division, there have already been suggestions that Scott Coker’s promotion might have a stronger 205lbs roster than the UFC’s. And sure, there can be no doubt that ‘Rumble’ and Romero add a lot to Bellator’s credibility.
Will Romero and Johnson succeed in Bellator? The jury is out. Romero is obviously a fantastic fighter, but he also hasn’t won a fight since 2018, and is also 43 years old. Johnson meanwhile hasn’t fought since 2017, and at 36, it’s hard to tell how much he’s got left in the tank.
However, the two men aren’t the first two former UFC stars to find their way to Bellator in recent years. Particularly since Coker took over at the helm of the promotion back in 2014, Bellator has made a habit of bringing former UFC fighters under its banner.
Some have succeeded, while some have struggled, and of course, Romero and Johnson will hope to find themselves in the former group.
With that in mind, here are five former UFC stars who thrived in Bellator MMA.
#1 Ryan Bader (5-1-1 in Bellator)
Ryan Bader debuted in the UFC back in 2008 after winning the 8th season of The Ultimate Fighter, but while he became a high-end contender at Light-Heavyweight, he never quite ascended to the top of the mountain.
‘Darth’ picked up big wins over Quinton Jackson, Ovince St. Preux and Rashad Evans, but losses to the likes of Glover Teixeira and Anthony Johnson always kept him away from the title picture. And so in late 2016, Bader made the decision to move to Bellator once his UFC deal expired.
The move turned out to be a dramatic success. Bader won the Bellator Light-Heavyweight title from Phil Davis in his promotional debut, and then went onto become the Bellator Heavyweight champion after defeating the legendary Fedor Emelianenko in the final of Bellator’s Heavyweight Grand Prix.
‘Darth’ has since lost his Bellator Light-Heavyweight crown to Vadim Nemkov, but he remains the promotion’s Heavyweight champion. It’d be hard to class his Bellator career as anything but a success.
#2 Phil Davis (9-2 in Bellator)
One of the most impressive athletes in MMA, Phil Davis put together a strong record of 9-3 in the UFC across five years with the promotion. However, like Ryan Bader, he was unable to force himself into the UFC title picture, and so moved to Bellator in mid 2015.
‘Mr Wonderful’ hit the ground running in Bellator, winning their 2015 Light-Heavyweight Grand Prix by defeating Francis Carmont and Emanuel Newton on the same night. From there, Davis rolled over Muhammed Lawal and Liam McGeary, becoming the Bellator Light-Heavyweight champion in the process.
Davis then dropped his Bellator title to Ryan Bader – who also edged him out in their fight in the UFC – but since then, he’s gone 5-1, with his only loss coming at the hands of current Bellator Light-Heavyweight champ Vadim Nemkov.
Right now, ‘Mr Wonderful’ is on a three-fight win streak, with his most recent victory coming over former UFC champion Lyoto Machida.
#3 Gegard Mousasi (5-1 in Bellator)
A true nomad in the world of MMA, Gegard Mousasi had fought for PRIDE, DREAM, M-1 Global, Affliction and StrikeForce before making his UFC debut in 2013. And while he never quite reached UFC title contention, he still had a fantastic run in the promotion – going 9-3 overall in his time there.
Mousasi’s decision to jump to Bellator in 2017 came as a surprise, particularly as he was on a five-fight winning streak in the UFC. And since arriving in Scott Coker’s promotion, he’s continued to find massive success, and is currently 5-1 under the Bellator banner.
Mousasi defeated Alexander Shlemenko in his Bellator debut, and won the Bellator Middleweight title by defeating Rafael Carvalho in his second fight with the promotion.
He was defeated for that title by Rafael Lovato Jr in June 2019, but after avenging a UFC loss against Lyoto Machida, he reclaimed the vacant Bellator Middleweight title by defeating Douglas Lima this October.
With Lovato Jr now retired from MMA, Mousasi is clearly Bellator’s best Middleweight – and could go onto have a dominant title run in the promotion.
#4 Cris Cyborg (2-0 in Bellator)
Usually recognised as one of the best female fighters in MMA history, Cris Cyborg has been embroiled in plenty of controversy over the years – infamously testing positive for a banned PED in 2011. However, she’s still a world-renowned star, and her acquisition by Bellator in 2019 was a positive move from Scott Coker.
Cyborg arrived in Bellator following a largely dominant run in the UFC. Initially fighting in two 140lbs Catchweight bouts, Cyborg was eventually allowed to move up to her usual 145lbs and won the UFC’s Featherweight title in 2017 by defeating Tonya Evinger.
Two successful title defenses followed before the Brazilian was stunningly dethroned by Amanda Nunes in 2018, but Cyborg bounced back from that loss by defeating Felicia Spencer in 2019. From there though, a spat with UFC President Dana White saw her UFC deal terminated by mutual consent.
Cyborg then joined Bellator, and immediately defeated Julia Budd to claim the Bellator Featherweight title. She’s since made a successful defense against Arlene Blencowe, and looks set for another dominant run at the top of the division going into 2021.
#5 Matt Mitrione (4-3-1 in Bellator)
Matt Mitrione’s record in Bellator isn’t all that strong – 4-3 with one No Contest – but it’s still hard to claim that ‘Meathead’ hasn’t thrived in the promotion.
A former NFL player, Mitrione had practically no MMA experience when he joined the cast of TUF 9 in 2009, but his natural athleticism immediately made him stand out. And in his seven-year UFC career, ‘Meathead’ proved to be a solid addition to the Heavyweight division, putting together a record of 9-5.
Two straight losses to Ben Rothwell and Travis Browne signalled his end with the promotion though, and in mid 2016, he signed with Bellator MMA. And his early days were a huge success, as he defeated his first two opponents before being faced with the legendary Fedor Emelianenko in 2017.
While Fedor was past his prime, he was still widely recognised as the greatest Heavyweight in MMA history – but Mitrione was able to knock him out in just over a minute. And in his next Bellator fight, he was able to avenge one of his UFC losses by defeating Roy Nelson.
Since then, Mitrione has lost to Ryan Bader, Sergei Kharitonov and Timothy Johnson – and at the age of 42, his career at the top of Bellator is likely over. However, given that he was able to beat Fedor and Nelson, it’s probably fair to call his Bellator career a success.
