Bellator Fighting Championships season four welterweight tournament finalist, Rick Hawn (11-1) has opted to drop down in weight for his next fight moving to lightweight.
The former Olympic Judo black belt plans on joining the Season Six Lightweight Tournament, set to kick off in March 2012 according to MMAjunkie.com, who also learned that Hawn had signed a new extension to his Bellator contract.
“I felt like I was sort of undersized in the last tournament. Everyone had a height advantage on me, and while I thought I made a good run, I think lightweight is going to be a better fit for me and just give me an advantage. Camp will pretty much be the same for me, even though I’m cutting to 155. I’m going to work on getting quicker while keeping my core strong. (I’m) just ready for the tournament to start and make a strong run.”
Hawn suffered his first pro-defeat last May, losing to season four tournament winner Jay Hieron by split decision. The former Olympian earned wins over Jim Wallhead and Lyman Good to make it into the final versus Hieron at Bellator 43. Despite a close fight, Hawn was only able to convince one judge that he had done enough to win, losing by scores of 28-29, 29-28, and 28-29.