Undefeated Tim Carpenter joins Bellator season-four light-heavy tourney

Philadelphia-based fighter Tim Carpenter, an undefeated prospect and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, is the latest addition to Bellator Fighting Championships' upcoming season-four light-heavyweight tournament.

Officials today announced his participation. The eight-man tournament kicks off next month on MTV2.

The winner earns $100,000 in total pay and becomes Bellator's first-ever 205-pound champion.

Carpenter, who signed an exclusive deal with Bellator, picked up a split-decision victory over IFL veteran Jamal Patterson at Bellator 33 in October.

"When I started looking at Bellator and I saw the list of champions and tournament winners, it's really impressive," Carpenter stated. "You have guys that are at the top of the sport fighting for Bellator, and it's exciting to get the chance to compete in a tournament like this. Once you hit that championship level at Bellator, you're in there with guys like Eddie Alvarez, Hector Lombard, Ben Askren, Cole Konrad and Zack Makovsky. It would be an honor to be mentioned in the same sentence with those guys."

Carpenter currently trains at Philadelphia's Balance Studios. He turned pro in 2005 but sat out late 2007 to early 2010. His first three pro bouts all ended via submission.

Carpenter joins Daniel Gracie, Nik Fekete, Chris Davis and  D.J. Linderman as confirmed participants. Additional entrants and opening-round matchups will be announced in the coming weeks.