Bellator Adds "Judo" Jim Wallhead To Season Four Welterweight Tournament (VIDEO)

Late last week, Bellator announced that “Judo” Jim Wallhead will be the sixth participant in its upcoming season four welterweight tournament.

“Wallhead was a fighter we wanted to be part of Bellator for some time, but because of the volcanic ash in Europe, his arrival in the Bellator cage got delayed for a few months,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “After his fight with Ryan Thomas, it was clear he was worth the wait.”

Wallhead is a member of Team Rough House and trains alongside UFC fighters Dan Hardy (#21 Welterweight), Andre Winner (#89 Lightweight), Ross Pearson (#39 Lightweight), Nick Osipczak (#141 Welterweight) and Strikeforce welterweight contender Paul Daley (#13 Welterweight). The Brit is a 15-fight veteran of the Cage Warriors promotion and his arrival on the international stage is long over due.

“I feel pumped getting ready to enter a tournament as stacked as this one,” Wallhead said. “There are some great fighters in the mix and its wide open for everyone to make a name for themselves. It would be a dream come true to be the last man standing out of these eight talented fighters. What an achievement.”

Wallhead joins former Bellator Welterweight Champion Lyman Good (#38), Dan Hornbuckle (#57), Brent Weedman (#84), Chris Lozano, and former Olympic judoka Rick Hawn as they compete for $100,000 and a shot at Askren. Both Lozano and Hawn will enter our rankings after their first tournament fight.

The promotion’s inaugural Light-Heavyweight Tournament is the only other officially-announced component of Bellator’s upcoming fourth season, which will air on MTV2. In the coming weeks, Bellator will announce its season four tournament participants. To date, the other announced fighters for season four are Joe Riggs, Daniel Gracie and Ron Sparks.

The promotion currently boasts champions in all men’s divisions but Flyweight and Light Heavyweight. Those champions are Zach Makovsky (#11 Bantamweight), Joe Warren (#2 Featherweight), Eddie Alvarez (#11 Lightweight), Ben Askren (#16 Welterweight), Hector Lombard (#6 Middleweight), Cole Konrad (#24 Heavyweight), and Zoila Frausto, who will likely be at the top of the heap when FIGHT! unveils its Women’s Flyweight Rankings.