BELLATOR NEWS: Sambo champion and Fedor defeater Blagoi Ivanov signs with Bellator

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Undefeated Bulgarian heavyweight Blagoi Ivanov is now a part of Bellator's heavyweight roster, the organization announced on Tuesday.

The 8-0 heavyweight is most well-known for halting Fedor Emelianenko's eight-year winning streak in Sambo competition when he defeated him en route to winning the 2008 Combat Sambo World Championships.

In eight fights since transitioning to MMA, Ivanov has finished six of them, three each by submission and TKO.

"Blagoi is a great signing for us at heavyweight," said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "He brings an incredible Sambo background to the cage and is developing his hands with some of the best in the business. I'm very happy that he and his management have decided to move his career forward under the Bellator banner."

"I can't wait to have the chance to show what I'm capable of to all of the Bellator fans watching on MTV2 all across the United States," said Ivanov. "I'm already hard at work preparing for my first fight with Bellator. My ultimate goal is to fight Cole Konrad for the Bellator World Heavyweight Championship. My mission is to become the Bellator Champion, and that's what I intend to do."

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Bellator/article_8762.shtml

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