Big-show veteran Kiichi Kunimoto (20-7-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) is joining Bellator’s welterweight division.
Bellator officials recently confirmed the signing with MMA Junkie following an initial report from Japan’s Gong magazine.
“Strasser” comes to the promotion following a pair of wins under the Rizin FF banner, including an August victory via technical submission over Ryuichiro Sumimura at Rizin 12 and a December 2017 win over former DEEP and Sengoku champ Satoru Kitaoka.
Prior to his time at Japan’s current top promotion, Kunimoto also fought in his native country for Heat, and enjoyed a lengthy run under the legendary Pancrase banner.
Kunimoto may be best known to U.S. fans for his five-fight UFC run that included wins over Richard Walsh, Daniel Sarafian and Luiz Dutra, picking up a “Performance of the Night” bonus along the way. However, Kunimoto was released from the promotion following back-to-back losses to Zak Ottow and Neil Magny.
Kunimoto’s promotional debut date and opponent have yet to be determined.
For more on Bellator’s upcoming schedule, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
