Bellator Releases Top Star, Gina Carano To Bellator Note, Rumble Talks Possible Gustafsson Fight

- UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Johnson has his sights set on two opponents: Ryan Bader and Alexander Gustafsson. Bader is coming off a win over Ovince St. Preux, while Gustafsson is the No. 1 ranked contender but suffered an injury and was removed from a title fight.

"It will be a good fight," said Johnson, of meeting Gustafsson, in an interview with UFC.com. "Gus is taller than me, but I think we have the same about of length of reach. It'll be interesting. Gus likes to move a lot and I like to stalk people and see what they have to offer. It will be a hell of a fight. I definitely want to give the fans what they want to see."

Johnson has won two fights since returning to the UFC, defeating Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Phil Davis.

- Bellator MMA announced on Tuesday that they have released lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez from his contract with the promotion. Alvarez is now free to sign and compete anywhere.

Under the management of Bjorn Rebney, Alvarez was left in a legal battle for his fighting future. After signing a deal with the UFC, Bellator matched the contract and brought Alvarez back. He won the title from Michael Chandler, and was scheduled to rematch him this year. An injury scrapped the planned pay-per-view main event.

"We've granted Eddie his unconditional release. Eddie is free to explore the free agent market, we hold no matching rights, and we wish him the best in the future," Bellator president Scott Coker said. "We sat down with Eddie and his team a few times, and it became pretty clear early on that he just wasn't interested in fighting for Bellator in the future. We want guys in this organization that want to be here, and after the history Eddie and the former regime had here at Bellator, we decided to move on. We wish Eddie the absolute best of luck with whatever is next for him. It's a new chapter for everyone involved."

Alvarez released his own statement concerning the release, saying, "This was a long process but it's a decision that everyone seems happy with. I think it's important to say that I am genuinely thankful for my time at Bellator. I know that sounds a little crazy given everything I went through, but I've fought there since 2009, and have been involved in some really amazing fights. The staff there always treated me great, and I'm going to miss seeing a lot of those familiar faces around for sure. Myself and my team had some really good discussions with Scott, but in my heart I knew I was ready to move on and start the next chapter in my career."

- Bellator MMA recently announced they were bringing female fighters back into the fold, signing Marloes Coenen and Julia Budd. That sparked talk about signing such talent as Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg, two fighters who previously shined under president Scott Coker.

Reports started to swirl that Coker and Carano were working on a deal, to which Coker told MMAjunkie.com that they had "one conversation and that was it."

"I don't want people to read into it that it was some big back-and-forth negotiation, because that wasn't true," he added. "It was a quick conversation, and we wish her the best of luck if she does decide to come back to the cage."

Carano previously stated a desire to fight again and has since been talked up heavily as a future opponent for UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.