A former WSOF champion is headed back to Bellator.
Georgi Karakhanyan, the former WSOF featherweight champion, has signed a multi-fight contract with Bellator, according to promotion officials. Karakhanyan returns to Bellator after most recently losing the WSOF 145-pound title to Rick Glenn in June. The details surrounding his next fight have yet to be determined.
This marks Karakhanyan’s second stint with Bellator. He had a record of 2-2 in the promotion in 2010-2011.
“Bellator has one of the most stacked 145-pound divisions,” Karakhanyan said in a statement provided by the promotion. “I love to challenge myself, and they have plenty to offer in Pat (Curran), (Daniel) Strauss, Bubba (Jenkins). Bubba and I are cool, but it’s business. The up-and-comer (Goiti) Yamauchi … but really what did it for me was ‘Pitbull’ becoming the champion. Don’t get me wrong, he is a great fighter. I have a lot of respect for him as a competitor, but I also have a loss to him, one that I am not ready to put behind me.
“So it’s the perfect story. Everyone wants a belt, everyone wants to get to the top, every fighter wants to avenge his loss. I get to do that all in one fight, when I become Bellator 145 champion and add yet another belt to my collection.”
The 29-year-old returns to Bellator with a 23-4-1 record. His recent loss snapped a nine-fight winning streak.