Last year’s memorable Bellator 187 card in Dublin featured a bout where Conor McGregor slapped an official who tried to stop him from jumping in cage to celebrate a win by his Straight Blast Gym teammate, Charlie Ward. His excitement was to some degree understandable, though, as Ward won by knockout with one second left in the round.
Ward had previously competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for two (unsuccessful) Welterweight bouts before his Bellator debut at Middleweight. He was also in a controversial fight where his opponent died after a technical knockout loss in Dublin, Ireland, although blame seemed to fall largely on the referee for not stopping the bout sooner.
Nevertheless, it seems Ward’s win at Bellator 187 gave the promotion the confidence to bring him back, as MMA Fighting reports that Ward has signed a multi-fight deal to keep him on the 185-pound roster for the foreseeable future. Even before this announcement, his next fight had been set: Ward (4-3) will face Louis King (1-1) at Bellator 200 in London.
To check out the latest Bellator MMA-related news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive news archive right here.