Bellator Poised to Become a Top Tier Organization

by RJCT on Mar 19, 2010 3:07 PM EDT

Bellator gained notoriety last year with its viral video campaign of highlight submissions and knockouts. They look to build off of that this year by bolstering their roster and securing great network distribution. Bellator is unique as they run a 12 week tournament format season. This unique approach to MMA makes them stand out from the pack, but is not so different that it eclipses the fights themselves. Hardcore fans have always enjoyed tournaments and spanning it over 12 weeks is good for the fighters. Bellator should turn the corner as a major promotion this year as their roster presents the possibilities for some great fights with signings such as Ben Askren and Roger Huerta and current champs Alvarez and Lombard. Their relationship with NBC and FSN will also provide great exposure as the shows benefit from mainstream lead-ins and the tournament format creates storylines fans will want to follow.

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.

Tweet Comment 10 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

completely agree

they seem to have a sound business model (i.e. you do not get the feeling that each show may be their last), and are moving along nicely. They do a good job of acquiring very good talent with a lot of upside and at a reasonable price (I believe they signed Joe Warren for a good deal).

by mo dogg on Mar 19, 2010 4:16 PM EDT reply actions

Don't be fooled

I went to one of their shows last year and it was a pretty lame until the last 3 or so fights. They are building their roster and operating in a smart way, but they’ve still got a long way to go before they are a Top Tier Organization(what does this even mean?).

by dumbwhiteguy on Mar 19, 2010 4:33 PM EDT reply actions

Don't be fooled

What I meant by top tier is I think they can be on par with Strikeforce and the UFC eventually. More so Strikeforce as I don’t see the UFC being dethroned as the top North American organization for some time due too the amount of experience they have and time to build their business will make it hard for others to completely catch up. But Bellator can fill an important roll for UFC castoffs who are still solid fighters and also provide experience and exposure to up and comers. With their tv deals we could see fighters gain a following and popularity before even getting into the UFC, Strikeforce or Dream. This in turn will promote higher starting salaries for fighters since they’re already established, unlike now with unknowns coming in for $2,000 because they’ve been fighting regional promotions their whole career and no one knows them.

I’ve got floor seats for the CT show in April and I’m excited to see how the tournament plays out.

by RJCT on Mar 19, 2010 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Still need more high ranked guys to become top tier. Poised yeah, but they are a long way off.

by Roujam on Mar 19, 2010 6:10 PM EDT reply actions

If MMA can succed without major name talent

then I agree. I don’t think it can, though. I think it, like boxing, is a big name business.

by Trysdor on Mar 19, 2010 6:29 PM EDT reply actions

I am skeptical, but the reason for that is because I wonder how a third major MMA organization will do in the U.S. I know that it is not that closely related, but I am also a hardcore professional wrestling fan as well as a hardcore MMA fan, and I can’t help but see Bellator as an ROH (when it was still very good). ROH, like Bellator in a way, was that one organization that the hardcores knew about and had some of the best matches that the mainstream or casual public knew nothing about. However, with no real name power and TNA and WWE taking their top talent, they were only able to get so far. I know that it is a loose comparison, but I can’t help but see similarities with ROH and Bellator, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see the UFC, Strikeforce, or even MMA organizations in Japan cherry pick the talent coming out of Bellator. Also, I have a hard time seeing Bellator as anything more than a niche MMA organization that appeals to the hardcores.

by chrisbboy82 on Mar 19, 2010 8:17 PM EDT reply actions

If you don't know

ROH stands for Ring of Honor, and it blows nowadays.

by CSKit on Mar 19, 2010 9:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Agree

Lack of Punk, Samoa Joe, Danielson, less Hero and Castagnoli. Think of that as Bellator losing Alvarez, Huerta already, Good, and a couple of there best fan oriented fighters. It’s going to hurt when it happens to Bellator. When it does, then we see how they do.

by MMA42 on Mar 21, 2010 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Don't be Fooled

Bellator is doing a good job with who to sign, and they seem to more or less, recognize where they stand, refraining from signing guys with a status that demands too much from them (looking at you Strikeforce).

But making sound decisions isn’t just about who you sign.

Their tournament format is highly questionable. What happens when a tournament favorite like Huerte gets injured? How long will he end up sitting out? We have yet to see a situation like UFC 108 happen to a smaller organization. The dynamic of the champion fighting challengers while “real” challengers compete in a tournament is also strange. Their schedule feels like an experiment, and we saw how that worked out for the IFL. The tournament format has ALWAYS been wrought with problems, so I don’t see how Bellator avoids these long term.

Speaking of which, any exposure should not be confused with “great exposure”. FSN couldn’t even properly display a Pride fight with their bush league editing. And being on at 2am on NBC means they have a chance to grab the heavily sought-after “stoners just getting back from a late night food run” demographic.

Are mma fans so desperate for someone to compete with the UFC that anyone putting on decent fights is primed to become PPV heavyweights or something? People seem to have this warped view of MMA where any organization that doesn’t have its thumb up its ass is automatically ready for Zuffa-level status, which would be funny if it wasn’t so prevalent.

Not trying to be a downer or anything, but fans of this sport need to ‘get real’. If there’s a reason to have a glass half empty kind of perspective it’s because the history of MMA as a business has proven as much for anyone not owned by Zuffa.

by David Castillo on Mar 21, 2010 12:53 AM EDT reply actions

I am a big fan of the talent-side of Bellator's business ...

… FSN has always been an awful network for MMA.

I have zero faith in FSN’s ability to deliver regularly scheduled live shows on their regional affiliates. I know for a fact that I won’t get to see their live Thursday night shows during baseball season, as the local MLB affiliate is the cornerstone of the FSN Ohio programming schedule. I’ll be stuck with having to scour the FSN program schedule to figure out when/if I can catch a tape delayed broadcast of the live shows, and odds are I’ll give up on that before too long.

I’m sure I’ll catch Youtube clips of fights involving their big-name guys, but that doesn’t exactly help their bottom line.

by Steve4192 on Mar 21, 2010 8:19 AM EDT reply actions