Chael Sonnen makes shock switch to Bellator MMA

CHAEL Sonnen is set to make his return to mixed martial arts, and he has big fights on his mind.

And in a shocking twist, the former UFC middleweight title challenger is making his comeback with Bellator MMA, not the UFC, and is targeting bouts with the likes of Wanderlei Silva, Tito Ortiz, Fedor Emelianenko and fellow new signing Rory MacDonald.

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Bellator announced the shock signing in the early hours of Friday morning, confirming their acquisition of Sonnen on an exclusive multi-year, multi-fight contract.

The 43-fight veteran is one of the biggest characters in mixed martial arts, with his rivalry with UFC legend Anderson Silva one of the most memorable in the sport.

And the self-proclaimed ‘Bad Guy’ has declared he’ll be fighting in multiple weight divisions in search for the biggest names on the Bellator MMA roster.

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“I’m consistently blown away by the product and presentation that Bellator is bringing to the fans,” said Sonnen.

“I’m not nearly done competing and I’m coming after everyone, everywhere.

“I’m not sticking to one weight class either, I fight at ‘Gangster Weight’ and nobody is safe.”

Sonnen was one of the biggest stars in the UFC, despite never capturing championship gold in the Octagon.

His career hit the skids in 2014 when he was hit with an anti-doping ban after testing positive for a cocktail of performance enhancers, including human growth hormone and the blood booster EPO.

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Now free to compete again, Sonnen has returned to the sport under the Bellator banner, teeing up a plethora of potential big-name matchups.

In a press release that described the organisation as “elated”, Bellator MMA president Scott Coker whetted the appetite for what’s to come with Sonnen on the roster.

“Chael is an incredible athlete that has competed at the very highest levels of the sport,” he said.

“I know that he is going to continue to do just that here at Bellator.

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“When we were in the process of signing him, Chael was adamant that he wants to compete in three divisions here.

“He already has unfinished business with Wanderlei Silva, but he also wants to fight guys like Tito Ortiz, Fedor Emelianenko and even Rory MacDonald at middleweight.

“These are all fights that I’d be very inclined to watch, so hopefully we can put some, if not all of these matchups together starting before the end of the year.”