Wilson Reis returns to Bellator for another shot at the featherweight championship title, a quest that was previously cut short by breakout sensation Joe Soto in 2009. Despite being favored throughout the Season 1 tournament, the Brazilian takedown artist fell short of a victory in the semi-finals round at Bellator VI in Corpus Christi, Texas. The bout sent shock waves through the MMA community as Reis, the former EliteXC Featherweight Champion, suffered his first career loss at the hands of the breakout newcomer.

Reis launched his career in 2007 and quickly earned the attention of fight fans through a series of rear naked choke submissions against his opponents in EliteXC. His chain of wins was so impressive that Reis was quickly heralded one of the world’s top 145 lbs. prospects. Eventually, he earned the championship belt from the now-defunct organization.

Upon entering Bellator’s Season 1 tournament, many fans and experts picked Reis as a favorite to emerge as the first ever Bellator Featherweight World Champion. In his first Bellator matchup, he defeated Henry Martinez by unanimous decision after three uneven rounds of fighting.

Next up for Reis was 21-year-old Joe Soto, a wrestler with impeccable striking ability from California. The match was billed as something of a David and Goliath contest, with Reis expected to emerge easily. In actuality, the contest became one of the hardest fought battles of the entire Bellator tournament, resulting in Soto’s upset victory by decision. The loss dropped Reis to 7-1 and allowed Soto to advance on to the championship bout that he would ultimately win.

Since then, Reis has competed in two additional fights, winning both. His return to the win column came in a special feature bout against Robert Vargas at Bellator X. His latest win came by unanimous decision against Dwayne Shelton in late 2009.

With his return in Season 2, Reis will look to recapture the spark that once allowed him to finish opponents at will. He will compete against a schedule of finely tuned grapplers and strikers, each looking to conquer one another for the chance to become No. 1 contender. For Reis, the tournament serves as a second chance to capture what many thought was already his, by doing so against the only opponent who has ever been able to solve him in the cage.

Reis is a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and now lives in Philadelphia.