It might not be the UFC, but Ben Saunders has made a quick return to a major MMA organization.

Bellator Fighting Championships has announced that it has signed Saunders to fight in its fourth season. Saunders will not be fighting in the promotion's next welterweight tournament.

Saunders was released from the UFC following a loss to Dennis Hallman at UFC 117. After his release, Saunders headlined a World Extreme Fighting event, where he defeated Elijah Harshbarger in the first round.

After Matt Riddle was forced out of his fight with Matt Brown at UFC on Versus 3, Ben Saunders campaigned to be Riddle's replacement. Saunder's asked his fans to take their Twitter accounts to try to convince Dana White to welcome him back into the UFC. Saunders even went as far as saying that he would fight for free.

Apparently, Saunders' pleas fell on deaf ears.

According to Bellator's Bjorn Rebney, Saunders will make his debut on MTV2 in April. It might not be exactly what he'd hoped for, but Saunders signing with Bellator could be one step toward his potential return to the UFC.