Former UFC flyweight and title challenger Ray Borg has found a new home.
Borg (16-5) has signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA, promotion officials announced on Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed; Borg will compete in the promotion’s bantamweight division.
The former UFC star, who has had a number of struggles and setbacks both in and out of the cage in recent years, had a resurgent 2022, winning both of his fights under the Eagle FC banner. That improved his current win streak to three straight.
During a UFC run that lasted six years, from 2014 to 2020, Borg missed weight four times, three at flyweight and once at bantamweight. He nevertheless managed to work his way to a title shot against Demetrious Johnson in 2017, losing their UFC 216 fight in the fifth round after being caught in a rather spectacular arm-bar.
Borg’s string of bad luck saw multiple fights fall through following his title shot. He was also present at the Barclays Center in New York during the UFC 223 bus attack by Conor McGregor and his entourage, and sustained injuries from broken glass that postponed a planned fight with Brandon Moreno. The fight was rescheduled, only for Borg to withdraw as his son was undergoing brain surgery after being born with Hydrocephalus.
“I am beyond excited and very happy to have signed with BELLATOR MMA,” Ray Borg said in Tuesday’s announcement. “I feel like they have the best 135ers in the world and I am very excited to get in there and mix it up with all of them on one of the very biggest stages in the sport.”
No debut date has been set for Borg, who joins a division that is wrapping up its bantamweight grand prix in April, when interim champ Raufeon Stots faces Patchy Mix. Sergio Pettis, who was unable to compete in the tournament due to injury, remains Bellator’s 135lb champ.
