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Former UFC champ Lyoto Machida signs multi-fight deal with Bellator

All the attention was on Vitor Belfort’s retirement fight at UFC 224. Little did anyone know it was likely Lyoto Machida’s last appearance in the octagon, as well.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion and current middleweight contender Machida (24-8 MMA, 16-8 UFC) completed his UFC contract with his fight against Belfort at UFC 224 in May. “The Dragon” won by second-round knockout with a highlight-reel front-kick finish.

Now, Machida, No. 11 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings, has signed an exclusive, multi-fight deal with Bellator, company President Scott Coker verified with MMAjunkie following a report from ESPN.com.

“We got a call from his management that was going to become a free agent about two weeks ago, and when I say free agent, they said matching rights,” Coker told MMAjunkie. “Then we had a nice meeting and I felt really good about it, and we submitted an offer and we were waiting to see if Zuffa matched it or not, and I think it was today that they said they weren’t going to, and we were free to move forward with our signing.”

Machida, 40, has a long list of notable victories, but also owns a win over the current Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi from UFC Fight Night 36 in February 2014.

The loss of Machida from the UFC roster is notable. His tenure inside the octagon dates back to UFC 67 in February 2007, and he’s since headlined 14 different cards for the promotion.

A date and location for Machida’s Bellator debut are unknown at this time, but Coker said he’s excited for the possibilities.

“To me, he’s one of the big stars of MMA, and he proved it still has it when he knocked out Vitor Belfort,” Coker said. “I’ve always appreciated the traditional martial arts fighting style, and he seemed like a really good guy. I believe that he could be a great asset to our roster. He’ll fight at 185 and 205. He wants to fight at both weights, and we’ve got a lot of guys that he can fight.”

For more on the upcoming Bellator schedule, check out the MMA Rumors sections.

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