It's official! Bellator MMA announces signing of former UFC welterweight title challenger Rory MacDonald

That'll do it. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight title challenger Rory MacDonald is officially a member of the Bellator MMA stable. The promotion announced the free agent signing last night (Fri., Aug. 26, 2016) during its Bellator 160: 'Henderson vs Pitbull' broadcast.

The signing comes on the heels of UFC stating earlier this week that it would not match any offer extended MacDonald's way. UFC's decision may come back to bite them in the you know what considering MacDonald is not only one of the best Welterweights on the planet today, but's he a gigantic anchor in Canadian mixed martial arts (MMA).

MacDonald, 27, enters Bellator with a 18-4 professional record, including UFC victories over Tyron Woodley, Demian Maia, Nate Diaz, BJ Penn, Tarec Saffiedine and Jake Ellenberger. The former King of the Cage Lightweight champion has made a home at 170 pounds over the past six years and should be considered an instant title threat under Bellator rule. With prominent divisional figures like champion Andrey Koreshkov, rising MMA phenom Michael Page, veteran Douglas Lima and knockout artist Paul Daley at his disposal, "Red King" has a lot of options entering the last quarter of 2016.

At the very least, whether MacDonald takes over the 170-pound class or not, this signing goes to show that Bellator has the money to spend and the eagerness to spend it.

Stick with Mania as more Bellator 163 news and coverage becomes available.