Richie Smullen Re-Signs With Bellator MMA

Image credits: Tommy Dickson / Lee Hamilton-Cooper / Bellator MMA

Richie Smullen (9-2-1) has re-signed with Bellator MMA on a multi-fight deal. Multiple sources confirmed the signing with SevereMMA.com on Wednesday afternoon.

The signing marks the 31-year-old SBG Ireland featherweight’s second stint with Bellator.

A former competitor on The Ultimate Fighter, Smullen made a single UFC appearance on the TUF 27 finale card back in 2018. Following that, the Wicklow fighter was snapped up by Bellator, where he went 3-1 in the promotion across 2019 and 2020. His sole loss under the Bellator banner came via a contentious Split Decision defeat to Alberth Dias in February 2020.

Since parting ways with Bellator, Smullen has gone on to become a two-division champion in Ukranian league Real Fight Promotion, crafting a 3-fight win streak and stopping his 3 most recent opponents. Smullen won the RFP featherweight title, finishing Igor Grytskiv (8-5) via strikes at RFP 86 in October 2021. He then moved up a weight class to capture the lightweight belt by submitting then undefeated Miroslav Dushnyuk (5-0).

The return to Bellator marks a new chapter in Smullen’s career, and based on his recent form, he’ll be looking to hit the ground running and make waves in the featherweight division.