Former Rizin Grand Prix Winner Tofiq Musayev Signs with Bellator MMA

Former Rizing Fighting Federation lightweight grand prix winner Tofiq Musayev has signed a multi-fight contract with Bellator MMA.

Sherdog.com confirmed the deal with a promotion official following an initial report from Ariel Helwani. Musayev will compete at 155 pounds in Bellator, but a date for his promotional debut is currently unknown.

After a year-and-a-half hiatus, Musayev returned to action at Rizin 28 this past June, where he fell to Roberto de Souza via first-round submission in a lightweight title bout. That halted a 14-bout winning streak for the 32-year-old Azerbaijan native, who is 18-4 over the course of a professional tenure that began in 2013.

Musayev notably won Rizin’s grand prix in 2019, earning victories over UFC veteran Johnny Case and current Bellator lightweight champion Patricky Freire in the same night. His resume also includes triumphs against UFC veterans Damien Brown and Daron Cruickshank. All but two of his wins have come inside the distance.