Bellator Sings Japanese MMA Veteran Hideo Tokoro

Japanese MMA veteran Hideo Tokoro has signed with Bellator and is set to make his promotional debut later this year, according to a report by MMA in Asia. The move makes the seasoned featherweight the only Japanese fighter on the promotion’s roster at present.

Since making his professional debut 14 years ago, Tokoro has fought for numerous promotions in Japan including Rings, Zst, Shooto, K-1 Heros, Dream and VTJ, fighting the likes of Brad Pickett, Royce Gracie, and Caol Uno.

Tokoro’s most notable achievement was winning the Dream bantamweight Grand Prix in 2011. His record currently stands at 32-27-2, but he has lost four of his last six fights and is coming off back-to-back defeats.

In the past, Bellator has signed Japanese fighters such as Masakatsu Ueda and Yoshiyuki Yoshida, but both were released after just one fight. That was under the previous management, and it is possible Tokoro’s signing could signal a shift in recruitment policy now that Scott Coker has taken the reigns.