Despite having one fight remaining on his deal, Carlo Pedersoli Jr. was released by the UFC, but it didn’t take long for him to find a new home.
In an Instagram post on Monday, August 5, the welterweight fighter announced his release and subsequent signing with Bellator.
“After having made three matches at the UFC everyone with short notice, I thought I had given enough to the company to get another chance in the last match of my contract,” Pedersoli said in the post via translation.
“That was not the case and in the meantime I received two proposals from other organizations. One of these two could not really be refused and so with great enthusiasm I announced my signature with the Bellator promotion.”
The Italian fighter praised Bellator for its treatment in its pursuit of his services.
“The treatment I was given, from every point of view, has gone beyond my expectations and I truly feel appreciated as never before in my career,” Pedersoli said. “There are great projects and I’m really excited to start this new adventure.”
Pedersoli originally landed on the UFC roster after compiling a 10-1 record in a variety of regional promotions. His split-decision win over Nicolas Dalby — who has since returned for his second stint in the UFC — at Cage Warriors 93 was his last fight before getting his UFC opportunity.
Pedersoli had a successful debut on the undercard of UFC Liverpool in May of 2018, a month after his fight with Dalby. He defeated Brad Scott by split decision as a short-notice fill-in for Salim Touahri.
“Semento” would struggle to find success in the UFC afterward. When he returned to the Octagon in September of 2018 at UFC Sao Paulo, Pedersoli was filling in for Neil Magny against Alex Oliveira. He was knocked out in the first round of their co-main event bout.
In his final UFC appearance, Pedersoli was matched up with Dwight Grant just under a month out from UFC Prague. The Italian welterweight was once again stopped in the opening five minutes, this time by TKO at 4:59 in the round.
Pedersoli will now be competing in Bellator’s welterweight division that is currently headlined by champion Rory MacDonald.