Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida's storied run in the UFC has come to an end, but that doesn't mean the 40-year-old is done competing inside the cage. On Friday, Bellator MMA officially announced the signing of Machida to a multi-fight deal, bringing an end to his UFC run that saw him battle in 24 fights.
"Bellator is pleased to announce the signing of former world champion Lyoto Machida to an exclusive, multi-fight agreement," Bellator officials said in a statement. "We look forward to seeing 'The Dragon' compete inside the Bellator cage in the near future."
As of right now, no official date has been set for Machida's debut with his new home.
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Machida, who began with the promotion in 2007 at UFC 67, is most well-known for capturing the UFC light heavyweight championship from Rashad Evans at UFC 98 in 2009. After making one successful defense of the title against Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Machida would drop the title to Rua in a rematch that took place at UFC 113 in 2010. In 2013, Machida moved down to the middleweight division, even challenging for the championship against Chris Weidman at UFC 175 in 2014. He was unsuccessful in capturing the title, though, falling to Weidman via unanimous decision.
Prior to this move, Machida was on a two-fight winning streak, with his most recent victory coming at UFC 224 last month where he decimated Vitor Belfort with a vicious front kick in the second round. Following the victory, there were talks that the veteran Machida may attempt one more run at the middleweight championship, although that was deemed unlikely. It appears as if the UFC may have agreed with the unlikeliness, thus the move for both parties to part ways.
Machida moves on to the next chapter in his career with an overall record of 24-8.
