Bellator MMA continues to add fighters to their roster and it continued on Wednesday when they announced the signing of former UFC fighter Paul Sass, Rob Sinclair and Martin Stapleton.
All of the fighters have been signed to long-term promotional agreements with Bellator MMA.
“Our talent development team does the best job in MMA by bringing hugely talented fighters to Bellator from around the globe,” Bellator CEO and Chairman Bjorn Rebney said. “The number one question I get from fans is ‘when will a UK television deal be completed with Bellator?’ With these three signings, along with a roster already featuring the likes of Paul “Semtex” Daley, Ronnie Mann and Michael Page, we are setting the table for making Bellator an every week televised occurrence in the UK.”
Sass (13-2) was signed by the UFC in 2010 after starting his career with ten straight wins and won his first three fights in the organization. During his first three fights in the UFC, all three of the wins came by submission and won the submission of the night in two of those three fights. He was released by the UFC earlier this year after dropping back to back fights with the losses coming against Matt Wiman and Danny Castillo.
“I’m incredibly excited to get the chance to compete with Bellator,” Sass said. “After meeting with their staff and having a clear understanding of what’s next, I can’t wait to get into the cage and get into my first tournament.”
Sinclair (12-2) comes to Bellator from BAMMA and has won four in a row since he was defeated by Sass in 2009 by split decision. During his recent winning streak, three of the four wins have come by TKO/KO and three of those have come in the first round.
“This is something I’ve wanted for a long time, but the timing has just never been right,” Sinclair said. “After meeting with Bellator and talking to guys like Paul Daley and Ronnie Mann, it really seemed like the perfect fit. This chance with Bellator will give me the opportunity to fully train and prepare for fight like I should, and with a full camp in place, the lightweights in Bellator better be on notice.”
Stapleton (12-1) is currently on a eight fight winning streak and his only career defeat came against Sass in 2008 by submission. During his eight fight winning streak, three of the wins have come by submission and won a one night, eight man tournament in December.
“This is an awesome opportunity for me to get a chance to show the world what I’m capable of, and not to sleep on a guy like me,” Stapleton said. “I’ve worked my ass off over the last few years for this exact opportunity, and I’m not going to let it get away from me. The lightweight division in Bellator is stacked, and it just got a little deeper with me.”
Sass, Sinclair and Stapleton will make their Bellator debuts this fall during season nine which is expected to begin in September.