UFC
UFC Fight Night 49's Ben Saunders says getting back to the UFC was "always the goal" after getting Bellator release
Aug 20, 2014 - 9:40:22 AM UFC Fight Night 49's Ben Saunders says getting back to the UFC was "always the goal" after getting Bellator release

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

"I will say this - almost all the people that worked for Bellator and almost all the fighters on their roster are freaking amazing people. They're awesome people and I loved my time with those people. My time with certain head people, which I won't get into, it was bad. It was depressing, I almost retired, I was furious. There was a lot of things that I was forced to suck up and just play the game and I did so. I did everything that I had to do to fulfill my contract and after that because of those people, and only because of those people, I wanted nothing to do with renegotiating. They could have paid me a half a million dollars and I wouldn't have even listened because I was that pissed. I was set in my ways. I just wanted out.

[Getting back to the UFC] was always the goal. The second I got cut that was the goal. I made a post on my Facebook and my social media letting people know the sad news that I got cut and it wasn't just a small post. I wrote out exactly how I felt and I made a damn promise to myself that I wasn't going to stop and I was not going to quit until I brought my skill set up and proved I belonged in the show. This entire time I've been out that's the only purpose I've had. I cannot fail myself. Honestly after this fight I could die, I could never fight again, and I would be so satisfied because I did what I set out to do."

-Ben Saunders, who makes his UFC return on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 49 on Fox Sports 1, talks to FoxSports.com about his exit from Bellator and getting himself back into the Octagon.

Penick's Analysis: Saunders getting another run in the UFC is great because he's an exciting addition to the roster. Sure, he suffered a couple of decisive losses to Douglas Lima during his time in Bellator, but Lima's a high end competitor. Saunders beat up many others through his time in Bellator, and he has an innate ability to inflict violence in highly entertaining fashion, so even if he winds up losing to some higher end guys down the road in the UFC, he's someone who can make a card more intriguing by being a part of it.