An Inside Look At The Demise Of Bellator

Before Bellator is part of the PFL, here is a look at how the end unfolded

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In a fight, a referee stops the bout if one of the fighters is too hurt to continue.

If the sale of Bellator were a fight, it would have been stopped a long time ago.

Bellator, a once proud fight brand that has developed a loyal following in multiple markets and created their own roster of stars, has been nearly completely devalued over the past six months by the business people at the PFL. And it is difficult to place any significant blame on the people at the PFL, as the power brokers at Bellator allowed this to happen every single step of the way.

Courtesy Bellator

With the UFC in the midst of an antitrust lawsuit where it is alleged that illicit tactics were used to dominate the market, it has effectively removed Endeavor’s MMA giant from being a factor in the sale of Bellator. That makes this an ongoing battle between Bellator and the PFL. But it is a one-sided fight, filled with 10-8 rounds all in favor of the PFL.

Bellator is owned by parent company Paramount. Their mergers and acquisitions team must be full of talented, skilled people, but ones clearly unfamiliar with the fight game. It was damaged beyond repair when, last month, Paramount President and CEO Chris McCarthy informed his employees that sports would end on Showtime at the end of 2023.

Shockingly, this announcement was made before a deal with the PFL was in place. As negotiations were taking place, the PFL received this piece of information. And it came directly from the top of Paramount.

Multiple sources close to both Bellator and PFL have intimated that a deal will be announced soon, perhaps as soon as later this morning. If a deal occurs, and PFL acquires Bellator’s roster, then it will cause a ripple effect throughout MMA.

Initially, there will be a wave of positivity. Bellator’s roster–filled with fighters like Vadim Nemkov, Johnny Eblen, Usman Nurmgaomedov, Yaroslav Amosov, Jason Jackson, AJ McKee, Patchy Mix, and Aaron Pico–is elite. Long-term, however, is an altogether different story.

Multiple managers have expressed their concern with Sports Illustrated over the loss of Bellator. Ultimately, the disappearance of Bellator is a loss for everyone in MMA. Bellator paid its fighters well, and held a roster of over 200. PFL’s roster is less than half of that. Losing Bellator dramatically decreases high-profile opportunities for fighters, a blow throughout the industry.

What happened to Bellator? The answer to that question is layered.

Founded in 2008, it has been under the leadership of Scott Coker since 2014. During his run as founder and CEO of Strikeforce, Coker helped launch the careers of Daniel Cormier, Ronda Rousey, and Tyron Woodley–who all went on to fame in the UFC. That process started anew when Coker became Bellator’s president in 2014, shifting away from tournament-based cards and instead focusing on building stars.

Coker also built close relationships with executives from Viacom, Bellator’s former parent company. But those executives were either let go or willingly exited the company. If fingers are pointed in Coker’s direction, it is because he did not integrate himself with the new executives.

Courtesy Bellator

COVID also hurt Bellator. That is when a partnership with DAZN ended prematurely, only lasting two years in what was supposed to be a five-year, nine-figure distribution deal. Bellator pivoted to CBS Sports Network before landing on Showtime in the winter of 2021, a network that did not help build the brand. Losing allies and working for a parent company in Paramount that did not see its value now illustrated that winter was coming for Bellator.

History is once again repeating itself. Over a decade ago, when Coker’s Strikeforce was bought by the UFC’s parent company, it changed the entire landscape of MMA. That same fortune appears to be in the PFL’s future. The MMA powerhouse has blue chip sponsors, yet a roster without superstars beyond Kayla Harrison, Francis Ngannou, and Jake Paul–and two of those three have yet to fight in the PFL SmartCage.

As Bellator fades into a memory, its roster will power the PFL into a new era of profit. This may not be what is best for MMA, but it is certainly what is best for the PFL.