· Former All-American Wrestler Rad Martinez Joins Bellator Roster

Bellator Fighting Championships announced the addition today of former NCAA Division I all-American wrestler Rad Martinez to its already impressive featherweight roster. Martinez wrestled at Clarion University with the likes of current UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and eventually took up mixed martial arts at his friend’s behest.

“Frankie Edgar is definitely the one that talked me into giving MMA a shot,” Martinez confirmed. “Every day he was always telling me how good I would be at MMA and how much I would love it, and eventually he just ended up talking me into it.

Martinez (9-2) last competed at “FFW 3: Back in Bakersfield” on May 20, where he fell short against Brian Cobb, tapping out to due to a rear-naked choke in the second round. Prior to that loss, he had rattled off eight consecutive victories.

Though the 145-pound competition in Bellator is among the best in the world, the 24-year-old is more than ready to impress.

“I've always had confidence in my ability and felt like I could compete with anybody in the world, but when you're talking about guys like Joe Warren, Patricio Pitbull and Marlon Sandro in the Bellator featherweight division, you're talking about three of the absolute best featherweights in the world,” Martinez maintained. “I'm just really looking forward to being able to test myself against that elite level of competition.”

Recently documented on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines,” Martinez has been the primary caretaker for his father in his adult life after Richard Martinez suffered at traumatic brain injury when Rad was just 12 years old. According to the fighter, wrestling and MMA allowed him to cope with such an enormous responsibility.

“Rad not only has an incredibly uplifting, powerful story, but he’s also a fierce competitor who will be a great addition to the Bellator family,” commented Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney.

“We’re proud to have Rad under the Bellator banner, and expect big things from him inside the Bellator cage.”

The promotion’s next event, Bellator 47, is scheduled for July 23, 2011 at Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario and airs live in prime time on MTV2.