Sherdog.com confirmed the signing with a promotion official following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. According to the report, Bellator is targeting the fall for Nelson’s debut with California-based organization.
Nelson’s UFC contract expired following a unanimous decision loss to Alexander Volkov at UFC on Fox 24 on April 15. “Big Country” went 9-10 in the Octagon after winning Season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” During his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion, he earned notable wins over the likes of Antonio Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Cheick Kongo, Matt Mitrione, Mirko Filipovic and Stefan Struve.
The 40-year-old Nevada resident has compiled a 22-14 mark over the course of a career that also included seven-bout stint in the International Fight League. Other ex-UFC talents to recently sign with Bellator include Rory MacDonald, Lorenz Larkin, Benson Henderson, Ryan Bader, Phil Davis and Mitrione.