Bellator has bolstered its light heavyweight division with the addition of undefeated former college football standout and Tuff-N-Uff champion Grant Neal, promotion officials told MMA Junkie.

Neal (1-0) arrives at Bellator in the latest chapter of his rollercoaster athletic career after seeing his dream of becoming an NFL player halted when he was indefinitely suspended by Colorado State University following charges of sexual assault that subsequently proved to be false.

Neal then switched his attention to MMA and hooked up with former Strikeforce welterweight champion and longtime UFC veteran Nate Marquardt before embarking on an undefeated amateur career in February 2007.

Neal racked up six straight wins as an amateur, winning light heavyweight titles in the Sparta Combat League and Tuff-N-Uff promotions before turning pro with a 46-second submission victory at Sparta’s SCL 72 event in February this year.

His story is set to be translated to the big screen, with a Kickstarter project successfully raising its goal of $5,000 to begin production on a film about his life, titled ‘A Violent Dance: The True Story of Grant Neal’.

Now Neal’s story gets a brand new chapter as the Colorado native will look to continue his martial arts journey under the bright lights of the Bellator cage.

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