After a streaky few years and two disappointing, consecutive losses in the UFC, Vladimir Matyushenko has sought a new stage to perform. He has now found that stage after signing a deal with Bellator MMA.

Matyushenko was cut along with a slew of other fighters earlier this year. His last UFC outing saw him on the wrong end of the fastest submission in UFC history as he dropped a brief fifty-second fight to Ryan Bader at UFC on FOX 6 back in January.

Both Bellator and Matyushenko seemed pleased and excited with the move as they now work make create a cohesive relationship that benefits both parties.

Here, Bellator President and CEO, Bjorn Rebney talks about what signing a fighter like Matyushenko, does for his organization:

“Vladimir is a fighter I’ve watched for years.  He’s an exciting fighter with an incredible wrestling background and a great pedigree in our sport.  When the opportunity presented itself and we had the chance to have him join the Bellator family it was a very easy decision to make. With our Champion Attila Vegh sitting at the top of the mountain right now, and with guys like Emanuel Newton, Mikhail Zayats and King Mo coming on strong, the light heavyweight division for Bellator continues to evolve and Vladimir should fit in perfectly to that mix.”