Dana White: I released Stephan Bonnar so he could beat the s--t out of Tito Ortiz in Bellator

It's not every day you see Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) tearing up one of its contracts to allow a fighter to compete for the competition.

Especially Bellator MMA.

Then again, how often does the opportunity come along to "beat the shit" out of Tito Ortiz? Not often, which is why UFC President Dana White gave retired light heavyweight Stephan Bonnar his early release, allowing "The American Psycho" to shack up with the boys at Spike TV (details).

"I released him to do it," White told the mixed martial arts (MMA) media on Friday. "He was still under contract with us. We released him to do it and I wish him the best. He was retired. What he told me is that he wants to beat the shit out of Tito, and I'm always down for that, so I released him."

Bonnar hasn't competed since getting smoked -- and pissing hot -- at the UFC 153 pay-per-view (PPV) event in late 2012. Ortiz, meanwhile, is fresh off a submission win over Alexander Shlemenko (a middleweight) back in May, just his second win over the last eight years.

Ironically, both fighters have been inducted into the UFC hall of fame.

Nothing is official at this time; however, an announcement from Bellator is expected in the coming weeks, if not days.

Stay tuned.