Kongo will debut with the company in September and participate in their Season 9 heavyweight tournament.

“After my contract was up in the UFC, I really wanted to take some time and reflect on everything,” Kongo said in a statement on the Bellator website. “After talking to the people around me, especially someone like my longtime friend in ‘Rampage’ [Jackson], he told me how well Bellator has been treating him and what we can do with Bellator, and after getting to know Bjorn Rebney, it just seemed like the right fit for me. I know I have plenty of fight left in me, and my fight in October is the first step to getting that Bellator Heavyweight Title.”

Kongo leaves the UFC with a 4-2-1 record since 2009 and holds victories over Mirko “Cro Cop,” Pat Berry and Matt Mitrione during his time with the organization.

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said that Kongo’s appeal goes across the board of MMA fans, and praised the fighter being able to perform in a way that’s exciting for those that are watching.

“If you’re an MMA fan, you’re a Kongo fan,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “No matter who he fights he’s always going to bring the fight and put on a great show, and he’s one of the best guys you’ll have the pleasure of dealing with in MMA. This is another example of our alliance with Wolfslair and Anthony McGann resulting in our signing an exciting, explosive fighter to our roster who fans know and love.”

Details of Kongo’s contract were not immediately released.

Jiu-Jitsu standout Robert Drysdale has signed a deal with the UFC and will make his promotional debut at UFC 163 on Aug. 3, according to a Tuesday report by the Las Vegas Review Journal.

The fighter later confirmed to GRACIEMAG.com that he signed a four-fight deal and will face Ednaldo Oliveira at light heavyweight (205 pounds) for his debut fight.

“It’s something I’m truly excited about — being able to fight against the best in the world,” Drysdale said on Tuesday afternoon. “It was a bit of a surprise … Someone got injured, so they needed a replacement and I jumped at the opportunity.”

Drysdale is undefeated in his MMA career, sporting a 6-0 record, most recently finishing D.J. Linderman by rear-naked choke at Legacy FC 19 last April. All six of Drysdale’s wins have come by way of submission.

Oliveira last competed at UFC 142, a loss to Gabriel Gonzaga by rear-naked choke. The defeat was the first of his career, earning 13 wins, one draw and one no-contest prior to the loss.

UFC 163 takes place at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, and is headlined by a featherweight title fight between champion Jose Aldo and Anthony Pettis.

Photo used courtesy of Alchemist MMA Management.

Bellator Fighting Championships signed Brazilian lightweight Bruno Carvalho to compete when the promotion moves to Spike TV in 2013, the company announced late Tuesday.

Carvalho’s manager, Nima Safapour, verified the signing and said the young prospect secured a multi-fight deal with the organization. The Bellator deal was one of many offered to the fighter, according to his management.

“Bruno Carvalho is one of the hottest prospects out of South America,” Safapour told Graciemag.com. “He had multiple offers going into the Bellator opportunity.

“We are confident that some of Bruno’s greatest fights are going to happen under the Bellator umbrella.”

Carvalho (8-2) was last seen earning a unanimous decision over Maicon Bastos under the Iron Fighting Combat promotion in Brazil. He’s also seen action in Japanese promotions such as DREAM and Shooto.

The 155-pound fighter has no scheduled debut, but his manager said he’ll see his first Bellator fight in the first quarter of next year.