Bellator middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho will become a free agent on May 26.
Prior to his most recent title defense, a first-round knockout over Alessio Sakara in December, Carvalho told MMA Fighting he was hoping to negotiate a better deal with the promotion before returning to the cage, but he’s entering Bellator 200 on the last fight of his current deal.
“We’ll see what the future holds for me, if I will continue in the promotion or not,” Carvalho told MMA Fighting on Friday. “Bellator has the preference, of course.