MMA legend Chael Sonnen is set to make his return to the Octagon after signing a multi-fight deal with promotion Bellator.
Sonnen returns to action for the first time since November 2013, when he was beaten by Rashad Evans at UFC 167.
"I’m consistently blown away by the product and presentation that Bellator is bringing to the fans," Sonnen said in a statement.
"I’m not nearly done competing and I’m coming after everyone, everywhere. I’m not sticking to one weight class either, I fight at 'Gangster Weight' and nobody is safe."
The 39-year-old retired from the sport after a coaching spell on the UFC flagship show 'The Ultimate Fighter'. The light heavyweight follows Rory MacDonald who also recently signed for the UFC's rival promotion, Bellator.
"Chael is an incredible athlete that has competed at the very highest levels of the sport," Bellator president Scott Coker said.
"I know that he is going to continue to do just that here at Bellator. When we were in the process of signing him, Chael was adamant that he wants to compete in three divisions here.
"He already has unfinished business with Wanderlei Silva, but he also wants to fight guys like Tito Ortiz, Fedor Emelianenko and even Rory MacDonald at middleweight. These are all fights that I’d be very inclined to watch, so hopefully we can put some, if not all of these match-ups together starting before the end of the year."
@arielhelwani @ChaelSonnen gangster weight sounds good to me
— Rory MacDonald (@rory_macdonald) September 16, 2016
Sonnen signs a a multi-year, multi-fight deal with Bellator. It is his return to the sport after failing multiple drugs test in the build-up to his fight with Vitor Belfort.
Sonnen told Associated Press journalist Greg Beacham that he wants to fight Bellator light heavyweight Tito Ortiz for his first fight with the promotion.
I asked Chael Sonnen when and who he wants to fight first with Bellator: "The Bad Boy vs the Bad Guy in November, and that's a quote."
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) September 16, 2016
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