UFC veteran Timothy Johnson didn’t last long in free agency, as he signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA this past April.
The heavyweight got a great offer from Bellator MMA and he wasted no time in signing with the promotion.
“I didn’t even really listen to anyone else; I got the numbers I wanted from Bellator and took it without really thinking twice about it,” he said to Bloody Elbow.
Johnson went 4-3-0 in the UFC, but was never able to put a win streak together during his time in the Octagon.
One thing Johnson readily admits is that the money he is making with Bellator MMA is higher than what the UFC was offering.
“It’s more than my most previous deal with the UFC,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot more room to build up. The biggest thing with me was, I’ll be able to brand myself a little bit. There’s so many people who don’t know anything about me. A lot of people don’t know I’m a combat veteran, I grew up on a farm, and I’m from a town of 700 people. Now, I’ll have a little more freedom to exercise all that. UFC’s the UFC. The UFC is first, that’s your label. In Bellator, you’re the fighter fighting for Bellator — if that makes sense.”
There is no word yet on when Johnson will make his Bellator MMA debut, as the promotion is currently holding its heavyweight grand prix.
