Bellator signs 'King' Kevin Casey, targets Bellator 170 debut in California

“The Ultimate Fighter 17” cast member and seven-time UFC veteran Kevin Casey (9-5-1) is the newest addition of Bellator’s roster.

Casey recently announced his new deal, which MMAjunkie subsequently confirmed with Bellator officials.

While a matchup has yet to be announced, Casey is targeting Bellator 170 for his promotional debut. That event, which features Tito Ortiz vs. Chael Sonnen, takes place at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.

Casey boasts an incredible grappling background as a Rickson Gracie black belt. However, his MMA career has been marked by a series of starts and stops, not to mention a handful of bizarre occurences.

Casey made his professional debut in 2007, suffering a TKO loss to Japanese MMA legend Ikuhisa Minowa. He would find his way to Strikeforce two years later but in just his fifth career contest ran up against Matt Lindland, who also served “King” a TKO loss.

He qualified for “The Ultimate Fighter 17” and earned his way into the house with a qualifying round win but was promptly ousted in the next round. Still, Casey was inited to the live finale but suffered a TKO loss to Josh Samman.

After three victories on the regional stage under the RFA banner, Casey made his way back to the UFC, though a failed drug test and a serious eye poke from Antonio Carlos Junior saw Casey own just a 1-0 record with two no contests in his first three fights back with the promotion.

In his next three fights, Casey sandwiched losses to Sam Alvey and Rafael Natal around a split-draw to Elvis Mutapcic. Casey was then waived from the promotion with a wild 1-3-1 record with two con contests in seven UFC appearances.

He’ll look for a fresh start under the Bellator banner.

For more on Bellator 170, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.