Bellator Cut Two Fomer Champions

Bellator has come to terms with the release of two former champions Emanuel Newton and Brandon Halsey this week.

Newton became the Bellator light heavyweight champion in 2014 when he defeated Attila Végh. He defended the title twice before losing it to Liam McGeary. Since then, Newton has lost three of his last four fights.

Halsey won the middleweight championship at Bellator 126 but was stripped of the championship on his first defense after he failed to make weight. He has since been finished twice in a row by Rafael Carvalho and John Salter, closing out his run at Bellator with two consecutive losses.

Bellator signed the likes of Chael Sonnen, Benson Henderson, and Rory MacDonald to contracts. With each big signing, however, comes the realization that there will have to be other contracts that suffer because of it.