UFC veteran John Alessio talks leaving Xtreme Couture and signing with Bellator.

UFC veteran and longtime mixed martial artist John Alessio has signed a four fight deal with Bellator MMA.

The 33-year-old announced the news via Twitter :

 

".....AND FINALLY THE NATURAL HAS COME TO @BELLATORMMA !!!," he wrote.

 

In a recent interview he told BloodyElbow's Steph Daniels  :

"I've actually left Xtreme Couture. It just happened over the last few months. I'm pretty much full time at Syndicate and Drysdale's. I do my boxing with Gil Martinez at a different gym called Epic, but it's not really open to the public."

 

"There was just nobody left at Xtreme. I was one of the first, with Pyle and Heiron and those guys, to come into Xtreme Couture. We built that gym, basically. When we first started, there was nothing but an octagon inside of a big, empty warehouse. That's how we trained, to start. Then the gym got built up from there.

It was really hard for me to leave. I'm a very loyal person, and that's a rare quality these days. I understand that in mixed martial arts, you kind of have to be selfish, because it is a one on one sport, it is all about you. At the same time, you can't forget about the people that helped you along the way and what they did for you. I appreciate everything I've learned from everybody, whether it was just one small move or if they worked with me for years."