It is Official: Bellator Signs Dan Hornbuckle

The full press release it at Bellator's website:

Bellator Fighting Championships continued its active offseason on Thursday when it announced the acquisition of one of MMA’s most heralded free agents, 19-2 welterweight standout Dan Hornbuckle.

Rebney has confirmed that, with Hornbuckle’s signing, he has also received an invitation to compete in Bellator’s upcoming eight-man welterweight tournament, which commences during Bellator’s Season 2 kickoff on April 8, 2010.

This signing has been speculated for awhile, but with it now be official we can say with confidence that Bellator is putting together a solid welterweight division and tournament for season 2.  Joining last year's surprising champion Lyman Good and Hornbuckle are top prospects Ben Askren and Jacob McClintock.  Hornbuckle's wins over Gono and Thompson really put him on the map and made him a top 20 welterweight in the world.

I know being from Chicago eliminates some bipartisanship, but I am getting more and more excited for season 2.  Live fights on Fox Sports, two solid champions in Alvarez and Lombard, and a very exciting welterweight division are setting the stage for a successful season.  The problem Bellator may run into is many of these signings have a limited target when attracting fans.  However, Bellator is not a big enough name to be pulling in any casual fans anyways and the network deal with Fox Sports will help get the fighters names out there.  I truly believe these are the exact type of fighters that Bellator should be targeting and props to them for landing the fighters plus allowing them to compete outside of Bellator.

Watch Dan Hornbuckle knockout Akihiro Gono at Sengoku 9.