UFC, WEC veteran Diego Nunes signs with Bellator MMA

UFC and WEC veteran Diego Nunes (18-4) will take the next step in his career with Bellator MMA.

Sources close to the promotion on Monday confirmed the featherweight’s signing, which is expected to be made official soon. Brazilian outlet Ataque Total first reported the news.

Nunes was released from the UFC this past winter following a unanimous decision loss to Nik Lentz at UFC on FX 7 in Brazil. That loss gave him two decision setbacks in three fights.

Overall, Nunes, from Brazil, went 3-3 in his stint with the UFC, but his most recent win streak came in 2010-11, when he had a three-fight run with victories over Raphael Assuncao and Tyler Toner in the WEC and a split-decision win over Mike Brown in his UFC debut..

Nunes started his pro MMA career 11-0, all in his home country. He then signed with the WEC, where he went 4-1 before the merger with the UFC.

Although his first 11 wins all came by stoppage, he went 7-4 under the Zuffa banner with all 11 fights going the distance. At UFC 131, after his three-fight streak, he met Kenny Florian in an unofficial title eliminator. He lost a unanimous decision in a competitive fight, and Florian went on to a title shot against champion Jose Aldo.

The highlight of Nunes’ Zuffa tenure may have been a “Fight of the Night” performance against Bart Palaszewski at UFC on FX 5 this past October.

Bellator begins its ninth season in September on Spike TV. Current featherweight champion Pat Curran is waiting on a title fight against Daniel Straus, then Magomedrasul Khasbulaev.

The next featherweight tournament could feature Nunes, and three wins there would have him in line for a shot at the 145-pound belt.

For more on Bellator’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.