Bellator today announced the signing of cage veteran Bao Quach (17-9-1) who will be added to the upcoming Season 2 featherweight tourney. Quach has reeled of 11 victories in his last 12 fights after a rocky start to his career. Quach has fought on some of the biggest names on the biggest stages, including Strikeforce, WEC, EliteXC and Shooto.
Quach Latest Bellator Signing
Quach is the lastest fighter to join Bellator’s upcoming eight-man 145 lbs. tournament. Bellator has previously announced the signing of Georgi Karakhanyan (12-1-1), undefeated William Romero (5-0) and undefeated Jiu-Jitsu black belt Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (12-0). Rumors are still circling that highly regarded Eric Marriott (17-2) will also be on tap for the tournament.
“During the last three years, Bao has established himself as a fighter with devastating world-class striking abilities. The level of his striking and kickboxing is at the highest level in MMA,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “With Bao, Georgi, Pitbull and Will, 145 should be a spectacular tournament.”
Quach’s career got off to an uneven start with some impressive performances against top-tier fighters and some disappointing losses. In some respects, Quach was unprepared for the training commitment required for elite fighting and his pure skill didn’t carry through each time.
Some of Quach’s career highlight include victories over Cole Escovedo and Chris David, a close majority decision loss to Jeff Curran, and a stoppage loss to Wagnney Fabiano. But the turning point in his career was a draw decision against the heralded Hatsu Hioki, considered by most industry insiders as one of the Top 5 featherweights in the world.
“Nobody thought I had a chance in that fight and, even though it was a draw, I know that I beat him,” Quach said. “At that point, I said to myself, “I don’t want to do this half-way anymore.” I realized that I really had the potential to do something in this sport. So I really changed my lifestyle and just dedicated myself to my career and nothing else.”
Since that point, Quach has been on fire. A victory in the Bellator tournament guarantees him a shot at Joe Soto, the current Bellator featherweight championship, not to mention the biggest payday for a featherweight in the sport of MMA.
Quach said he was drawn to Bellator for a variety of factors, not the least of which is what he called “some unfinished business” with fellow ’featherweight tournament competitor Karakhanyan. The two were recently slated to square off before a broken hand left Quach sidelined.
