Bellator President Bjorn Rebney just can’t catch a break.
Only 18 days after bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas was knocked out in a bout for Brazilian organization Shooto, it appears that another champion has decided to walk away from the sport of mixed martial arts entirely.
Cole Konrad is an undefeated fighter who, at 28 years old, has captured a pair of NCAA Division I titles, the Bellator heavyweight championship and, apparently, a career trading milk products.
According to a report from MMAJunkie.com, Konrad has elected to retire from competition, as he has accepted a position as a financial trader at a Minnesota-based trading firm. The organization specializes in food stuffs, and Konrad will be working with milk products.
This news comes as a shock, as “The Polar Bear” has looked fantastic since joining Bellator. Konrad won the Bellator heavyweight championship in the promotions inaugural heavyweight tournament in 2010. With wins over UFC veteran Paul Buentello and a 60-second victory over fellow tournament winner Eric Prindle, Konrad appeared to be the real deal, with major potential to make waves in the sport.
These are bleak times for Bellator. Two of their reigning champions are coming off of a loss (the other being light heavyweight champion Christian M’Pumbu). And the departure of Hector Lombard left the MTV2-based company without a champion in their middleweight division either.
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