Ronnie Mann: Bellator gave me the Cage Warriors' buyout money as an apology

After Cage Warriors bought out his contract, Ronnie Mann said his split with Bellator MMA was amicable, especially since officials from his former home gave him a nice parting gift.

As announced this past week, Cage Warriors paid $5,000 to buy out Mann’s contract, and the U.K.-based organization promptly signed him to a new five-fight deal. And though Bellator had every right to keep the money, Mann said they ultimately gave it to him instead.

“As an apology – that’s why I’ve been saying they’re a great company – they are going to donate that $5,000 to myself for keeping me on the shelf so long,” he today told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “I haven’t gotten it yet, but they said they said they’re going to transfer it to me.

“They said they kept me on the shelf, and that’s an apology for doing so.”

Mann (21-6-1), who was born in Thailand but not calls England home, was once of Bellator’s biggest signings, but the 26-year-old’s bookings were sporadic after he fell short in a pair of eight-man tournaments. Although he fought four times in 2011, he registered just one Bellator appearance in 2012. He’s also fought just once this year.

“Bellator’s a great company,” said Mann, who previously competed for organizations such as World Victory Road/Sengoku and Shark Fights, where he was the final welterweight champion. “They took care of me when I was fighting there. They were a great company. I just need to be fighting on a regular basis.”

Mann is now in a 1-3 skid, which began with a decision loss to now-Bellator champ Pat Curran. But some good came out of the defeat. He and Curran struck up a friendship, and Mann now plans to hold part of his training camps at Team Curran in Illinois.

Mann had a similar setup a few years ago, and he frequently worked with Shawn Tompkins before the Las Vegas-based trainer’s untimely death in 2011. Now, Mann hopes to find a similar home in the U.S.

“And, hopefully, get back to my winning ways,” he said.

Mann is slated to fight next in the co-headliner of Cage Warriors 57 on July 20. A fellow Bellator vet, Paul Daley, headlines the show. Mann doesn’t have an opponent, and he’s not too worried about it.

He’s just anxious to get back in the cage on a frequent basis.

“I just want to be fighting regularly,” he said. “That’s the main thing. Bellator couldn’t keep me fighting regularly, and I think that’s why they let me go.

“But it’s worked out for all of us.”

For more on Cage Warriors 57, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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