Featherweight Ronnie Mann is the most recent fighter to secure a release from Sengoku Raiden Championships and sign with a stateside promotion. The fighter will compete as a member of the Bellator fifth-season featherweight tournament.
MMAFighting reported the signing citing Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney as a source. According to the report, Mann will make his promotional debut in a televised non-tournament bout during the fourth season and then join the tournament in the next season.
Earlier this week, news broke that SRC middleweight champion Jorge Santiago and Dave Herman have received their release from SRC in order to sign stateside contracts.
In his last fight, Mann defeated Doug Evans to claim the Shark Fights featherweight title. The English fighter rose to prominence as a member of the Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix. In the first round, he defeating “The Super High School Student” Tetsuya Yamada. However, in the next round, current promotional champion Hatsu Hioki submitted him with a triangle choke. He also holds impressive victories over Ashleigh Grimshaw and Shigeki Osawa.
Bellator seaon four will begin with Bellator 35 on March 5. The card takes place at the Tachi Palace Casino and Resort in Lemoore, Calif and will be broadcast live on MTV2.
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