Bellator Signs EliteXC Vet Shlemenko

Bellator Fighting Championships on Monday announced the signing of EliteXC veteran Alexander Shlemenko, a Siberian-based fighter who will compete in the promotion’s 2010 middleweight tournament. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Shlemenko joins former International Fight League champion Ryan McGivern, World Extreme Cagefighting castaways Bryan Baker and Eric Schambari, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 7 veteran Luke Zachrich, 2009 Bellator middleweight tournament finalist Jared Hess, Matt Major and Sean Loeffler in the eight-man draw.

“Alexander is a dangerous fighter who poses a serious threat to anyone he faces at 185,” Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney said in a release. “We’ve been working on signing Russia’s top middleweight for some time, and I’m glad we’ll finally get to see him fight in our tournament and beyond. Alexander’s style -- spinning back fists, flying knees and non-stop strikes -- makes for great fights.”

Shlemenko will face Major in his promotional debut this Thursday in Bellator 16 at the Kansas City Power and Light District in Kansas City, Mo. The 25-year-old Shlemenko has delivered 12 wins in his last 13 bouts and will carry a three-fight winning streak into the tournament. He last appeared in March, when he knocked out UFC veteran Sean Salmon with a knee to the body at Fight Festival 27 in Finland.

“I feel that Bellator is a really great opportunity for me,” Shlemenko said through his interpreter. “I love the tournament format, and I think it’s a great chance for me to get exposure here in the U.S. market. My only goal is to be the number one middleweight fighter in the world, and Bellator will help me do that.”

The winner of Bellator’s eight-man tournament will earn a crack at middleweight champion Hector Lombard later this year. Lombard has rattled off 13 consecutive wins.

“I’ve seen Hector Lombard fight,” Shlemenko said. “I’ve studied his style, and I know it well. I’d love to fight him and become the champion at his expense.”