Just three and a half months after the New Jersey based wrestler voluntarily chose not to renew his contract with the UFC because he "wanted to spend more time with his family," Pellegrino has signed with Bellator Fighting Championships for a one-fight contract with the upstart promotion.
He'll be making his debut in Atlantic City this November at Bellator 59 against season four lightweight tournament finalist Patricky "Pitbull" Freire, the brother of featherweight tournament champion and current number one contender Patricio Freire.
"Batman" explains his decision after the jump.
From the Bellator press release:
"It was like Rocky II when Adrian awoke from the coma and told Rocky to ‘win.' I was retired, sitting home watching videos with my son, but I was also training at that time and was in great shape when my wife walked up to me and said ‘If you want to do it again, go for it'. Before that, I felt bad for being away training and missing my daughter's first words, changing diapers, etc. I was so happy that I was able to be there for my son's big moments - but the fact that my family supports me returning to fight means everything to me."
"I retired from fighting and didn't think I was going to do this anymore. I feel like this is the right show for me to do everything I want to do and to go where I want to go. I get to finish the vision quest my way and this is why I chose Bellator. My family comes before anything and Bellator understands that. I wanted to wait until I was able to fight in Atlantic City and Bellator is giving me that opportunity - so I couldn't be happier."
Pellegrino's opponent, Patricky Freire, is known for his devastating power. He knocked out both "Razor" Rob McCullough and Toby Imada in his first two fights of the Bellator season four lightweight tournament before losing a decision to Michael Chandler in the finals.
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