Douglas Lima is staying put.
The promotion announced that the former Bellator welterweight champion signed a new, multi-year agreement with the PFL — who also owns Bellator as of this past November.
Head of Fighter Operations Mike Kogan also revealed in the announcement that Lima will make his return to the cage sometime this fall.
Lima was one of several outspoken fighters on the Bellator roster that wasn’t particularly happy with the PFL after the acquisition, citing that the “PFL didn’t want to pay and honor my last fight on my contract.” Lima sent the tweet following his most recent opponent Costello van Steenis earning a second-round submission win at Bellator Paris earlier this month.
Last guy I beat is fighting for the belt now. Solid win Costello great job. I’m on the sidelines for a year now, what heard was my purse was too “high” and PFL didn’t want to pay and honor my last fight on my contract. so yeaaa @BellatorMMA @PFLMMA
— Douglas Lima (@PhenomLima) May 17, 2024
It seems cooler heads prevailed, and Lima will remain with the organization for the foreseeable future. “The Phenom” defeated van Steenis at Bellator 296 after moving up to middleweight in May 2023, which snapped a four-fight skid. Lima is a two-time Bellator welterweight champ, and fell short in his attempt to become a two-division champion when he lost a decision to then-middleweight champ Gegard Mousasi at Bellator 250 in October 2020.
Lima would go on to lose the 170-pound title to Yaroslav Amosov at Bellator 260 in June 2021, then went on to lose decisions to Michael Page and Jason Jackson before moving up to 185 pounds. His overall record stands at 33-11.