Two-Time Bellator tournament winner Rick Hawn has announced that he has been released from his contract by Bellator MMA. Hawn announced the move on his Twitter account on Tuesday evening and stated he does not plan to retire.
Thank u to everybody in the @BellatorMMA organization for the last 4 years, it’s been a lot of fun and I’m gonna miss u guys!
— Rick Hawn (@RickHawnMMA) November 19, 2014
Received my walking papers today, gotta keep pushing forward and improve as a martial artist. Ups and downs are part of the fight business.
— Rick Hawn (@RickHawnMMA) November 19, 2014
I won’t be retiring, there are other organizations out there! I still have some good fights left in me no matter how my last 2 came out! — Rick Hawn (@RickHawnMMA) November 19, 2014
Hawn (18-4) is only one of three fighters in Bellator history to win two tournaments in two different weight classes as he was the season six lightweight and season nine welterweight tournament winner. He would be unable to capture Bellator gold as he lost to Michael Chandler and Douglas Lima.
Currently, Hawn has lost two straight fights with the most recent defeat coming in October to season seven lightweight tournament winner Dave Jansen. Before the back to back defeats, he had won four in a row, including knockout wins against Karo Parisyan and Ron Keslar.
I do not expect Hawn to be a free agent for long and with his ties to the New England area, it would make sense for Titan FC to sign Hawn and place him on the December 19th card in Lowell, Massachusetts.