CHICAGO, Ill. (August 5, 2011) — Bellator Fighting Championships announced today the signing of undefeated welterweight and 2-time Bellator veteran David “The Caveman” Rickels. No stranger to Bellator, Rickels (8-0) compiled a spotless record within Bellator during its fourth season with two submission victories.
The first win came at Bellator 40, as the fast-rising Kansas native took down Strikeforce veteran Dylan Smith with a first round triangle choke. Rickels was back with Bellator in short order, as “The Caveman” had a Bellator 43 date with Rich Bouphanouvong. Always looking for the submission victory, Rickels once again ended the fight with a triangle choke, submitting Bouphanouvong early in the second round.
“Bellator is the place I want to be,” said Rickels. “This is a place I can make a career for myself. You look at Bellator and they have top ten welterweights like Jay Hieron and Ben Askren, it’s a dream to be fighting alongside those guys.”
While no official plans have been made for Rickels in an upcoming tournament, Rickels should be back in the Bellator cage in short order.
“David made a strong impression on us during our fourth season, and we’re happy to have him joining Bellator full time,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney.
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator
