Heavyweight Jon Madsen signs with Bellator for upcoming tourney

UFC veteran Jon Madsen (7-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC) is the latest addition to Bellator Fighting Championships' heavyweight roster.

Madsen's trainer and manager, Marc Fiore of Fiore MMA, today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the fighter this past month inked a deal that will see him compete in the promotion's next heavyweight tournament.

The timing of such a tournament is up in the air. A Bellator official said there are currently no plans for the heavyweights in its upcoming sixth season, but a tournament is planned for this year.

While he waits, Madsen is set to fight Jan. 21 in regional competition.

Despite a four-fight win streak inside the octagon, the veteran of "The Ultimate Fighter 10" was released by the UFC in the wake of a loss (via doctor stoppage) to Mike Russow in his most recent appearance at UFC Fight Night 24. Prior to the loss, which was the first of his profession career, Madsen earned a first-round TKO over veteran Gilbert Yvel at UFC 121.

A former teammate of the now-retired Brock Lesnar, Madsen was often criticized for a wrestling-centric attack, which may have hastened his exit from the industry-leading promotion.

However, those skills are likely to come in handy against many of Bellator's current heavyweights. The promotion's season-five tournament was heavy on slugfests, and Madsen's wrestling skills could give him an advantage.

Bellator's sixth season kicks off March 2 at Bellator 60 and is expected to feature eight-man competitions in the bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and middleweight divisions. A city and venue has yet to be announced for the event. As usual, MTV2 airs the event's main card while preliminary fights stream on Spike.com.