CHICAGO, Ill. (May 10, 2011) - Bellator Fighting Championships announced today the signing of hard-hitting Brazilian welterweight Michael Costa to its rapidly expanding roster. Costa joins Bellator days after his training partner at Wand Fight Team, Vitor Vianna, agreed to terms with the promotion.
One of the original members of the Chute Boxe Academy, Costa moved from Rio de Janeiro to Curitiba, Brazil at 21-years-old to train alongside Wanderlei Silva, Anderson Silva, Maurcio "Shogun" Rua, Fabricio Werdum and others. Similar to Vitor Vianna, Costa made the journey from Brazil to the United States after Wanderlei had urged the two to train at his academy.
While Costa holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Royler Gracie, the 2x Sengoku veteran is also a Muay Thai black belt under Chute Boxe founder Rafael Cordeiro, and holds the title of head Muay Thai instructor at Wand Fight Team.
"Michael Costa has all the tools to have a breakout year and his no nonsense approach in the cage made him a perfect fit for Bellator", said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "His addition to our welterweight division makes a strong 170 lbs. class that much stronger."
Like many Brazilian fighters, Costa prides himself on not letting the fight get to the judges, proof by his last eight victories ending in finishes.
"Anyone that has seen me fight before knows that I fight with all my heart, and that I fight to finish my fights by knockout," said Costa. "For me, fighting is a war. I want to finish all of my fights with Bellator so the fans remember my name."
Fans knowing his name was the main reason Costa jumped at the chance to sign with Bellator. With Bellator broadcast in nearly 80 million homes on MTV2, the opportunity was too good to pass up for Costa.
"Now that I have this incredible opportunity with Bellator, I'm going to work harder than ever to make the most of it for myself, my fans, and my family. When people talk about Bellator, I want them to talk about Michael Costa. I want them to talk about me like they talk about Hector Lombard. I'm here to make a name for myself with Bellator, and that's what I'm about to do."
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator
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