‘Curtious’ Curtis Millender has made his way back to Bellator MMA, and will make his return against Moses Murrietta at Bellator 238 in January.
Curtis Millender (17-5) is returning to Bellator MMA for his next fight. The welterweight, who was recently released by the UFC following a five-fight stint in the octagon in which he went 3-2, will appear at January’s Bellator 238 against Moses Murrietta (8-3). Fansided’s Amy Kaplan was first to report the news.
Millender previously competed for Bellator for a three-fight run in 2015, and returned for a single bout in 2017. It was during that later run that his career took off. From 2016 to 2018 Millender won nine straight fights, including his first three outings under the UFC banner. He debuted for Dana White and company by knocking out former title challenger and longtime veteran Thiago Alves with a knee, then followed that performance up with unanimous decision wins over Max Griffin and Siyar Bahadurzada.
The Alves victory earned Millender a Performance of the Night bonus.
In 2019, he would drop bouts to Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Belal Muhammad, leading to release from the organization. The move was something of a surprise, given his 3-2 record overall and level of competition.
In his return to the Bellator cage, Millender goes up against Moses Murrietta, who will be making his promotional debut on the night.
Bellator 238 takes place January 25, 2020 at The Forum in Los Angeles (Inglewood), CA. The card is headlined by Julia Budd defending her featherweight title against Cris Cyborg.
