Former Bellator champ Will Brooks signs with the UFC, faces Ross Pearson at TUF 23 Finale

Quote :

Former Bellator lightweight champion Will Brooks has inked a deal with the UFC.

Brooks will make his Octagon debut against Ross Pearson at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale on July 8 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, according to UFC officials.

Brooks replaces James Krause, who withdrew from the bout with Pearson. In the TUF 23 Finale main event, Joanna Jedrzejczyk defends her UFC women’s strawweight title against Claudie Gadelha.

Brooks (18-1) was released by Bellator despite holding the promotion’s 155-pound title and defending it twice in the midst of an eight-fight winning streak. He didn’t appear to be happy fighting for Bellator, so with his contract expiring, Bellator opted to release him in early May. The UFC moved swiftly to put him on the July 8 fight card.

Pearson (19-10, 1 NC) has been fighting for the UFC for the past seven years. Always a fan favorite, he has had trouble establishing championship momentum, alternating between wins and losses for the past few years.

http://www.mmaweekly.com/former-bellator-champ-will-brooks-signs-with-ufc-faces-ross-pearson-at-tuf-23-finale

That's a good fight. Should show us exactly where Will Brooks fits in!

feel like he should have got a higher ranked opponent like Michael Johnson, Melendez, or porier..

but pearson is tough as nails and will bring it for sure.

I'm leaning more toward Chrom's line of thinking.
This is a good fight to see where Brooks stands in the division. The UFC lightweight division is a completely different animal than the Bellator lightweight division.
If he mops the floor with Pearson, then we'll know his championship credentials are legit. If he struggles or possibly even gets worked by Pearson, well, then that's not a good look for a reigning, defending champion to get whooped up on by a fringe top 15 or 20 UFC lightweight.