# Article: The Problem with Bellator



## distant1 (Feb 14, 2017)

Article discussing some of the obstacles limiting Bellator from becoming a legitimate competitor of the UFC instead of an alternative to it.

http://blog.mmaratings.net/2016/11/the-bjb-breakdown-bellators-biggest.html


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

I guess that depth is something that Bellator is going to have to continue building. There are guys who will settle with fighting in Bellator. Enough guys go there then it'll build depth.


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## distant1 (Feb 14, 2017)

Bellator MMA has long been the number two organization in the North American MMA scene. Regardless of how many other organizations have come into the world of MMA, Bellator has maintained its position as a viable alternative to the UFC. However, the question has now become: Can Bellator ever draw even with the UFC, or surpass the UFC in terms of popularity and/or quality? To the first part of the question, I say no. The UFC is so ingrained in the world that it's almost impossible to replace it in the collective minds of casual and hardcore fans. So the second part of the question comes front and center: Can Bellator replace the UFC in regard to the quality of fighters/fights?


The answer to that question is "maybe". In regards to its champions and top contenders, Bellator is comparable to or equal to the UFC as far as talent is concerned. The guys who are in the top three or four spots in the rankings are all capable of winning and/or contending in the UFC. Michael Chandler, Phil Davis, Daniel Straus, Douglas Lima, and Eduardo Dantas, all Bellator champions, are capable of being ranked and contending for titles in the UFC. Consider the case of Phil Davis. Here we have a guy who had multiple wins in the UFC and was still considered a Top 10 light heavyweight at the time he left the promotion for Bellator. Let's look at some of the contenders in various divisions: Cheick Kongo, Benson Henderson, Liam McGeary, Patricio and Patricky Freire, Pat Curran, Joe Warren, Andre Galvao, Andrey Koreshkov, Rory Macdonald, Josh Thomson, and "King" Mo Lawal. Kongo, Henderson, and Macdonald already have multiple wins in the UFC. Macdonald challenged for the welterweight belt and soundly beat the current UFC Welterweight Champion, Tyron Woodley, while Thomson stopped Nate Diaz, and Kongo was a longtime staple in the heavyweight division. The other fighters, while lacking UFC experience, are all more than capable of putting together wins in the UFC and contending for titles.

So, if at the top end of their respective talent pools, there isn't much of a gap between the UFC and Bellator, why isn't Bellator more of a contender against the UFC? Top-level talent is only one aspect of an organization, albeit the one that gets the most attention, headlines cards, draws eyes, earns big paydays, and generally pushes organizations and divisions to great heights. What defines the divisions and provides an organization with stability, however, is the second and/or third tier guys who fill out the divisions. In other words, the depth of the organization as a whole and the depth of the individual divisions within the organization are tied together, and this is where Bellator unfortunately falls short. This that will keep it from ever being a real competitor to the UFC, instead of just an alternative to it. 


By being bigger than the sport it promotes, the UFC has first shot at all the elite, second tier, and third tier talent, established and still developing. This, in turn, gives the promotion access to an endless number of other organizations trying to get fighters into the UFC, or fighters in other organizations hoping to use their runs in said divisions as a springboard into the UFC. They have a countless number of resources in regards to manpower. In fact, they have so much manpower that they have to cut fighters, put them on hold, or outright deny them entry into the Octagon. The benefit of that is great for a few reasons: The main reason is that you have more consistency in regards to the quality of the fighters competing on fight night, which provides more entertaining and competitive fights for the fans. As much as stars draw in PPV buys or ratings, having a weak undercard is no help when trying to get fans to consistently tune in. The second benefit to the organization is that you have guys you can use to help develop prospects and rehab fighters who are coming off of title losses or particularly punishing defeats. 

Because Bellator doesn't have this kind of depth, it won't be able to truly compete with the UFC. Until the promotion has roster of legitimate and competent fighters, it will never truly gain the goodwill of fans or of the sport as a whole. Without depth the organization can't provide consistency, without consistency the organization can't develop trust , and without the trust of the fans and the media, Bellator cannot be a legitimate competitor to the number one organization in North America, The Ultimate Fighting Championship.

http://blog.mmaratings.net/2016/11/the-bjb-breakdown-bellators-biggest.html


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## distant1 (Feb 14, 2017)

kantowrestler said:


> I guess that depth is something that Bellator is going to have to continue building. There are guys who will settle with fighting in Bellator. Enough guys go there then it'll build depth.


they need to build up the div so you can diversify the matchups and actually build prospects being top heavy limits both things


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

One advantage that they have is that they don't have the exclusive sponsorship deal with Reebok which has lead to the exodus of some of the contenders in the UFC. They also have the money from Viacom to throw at anyone they want. Also Scott Coker is smart enough that that's probably one of the things he is working on in the long term.


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## Trix (Dec 15, 2009)

Comparing the UFC to bellator is a business discussion imo.

Its like comparing coke and pepsi, toyota and general motors, thomas edison and nikolai tesla.

The UFC and bellator are both competing for the same sports entertainment market. Whoever innovates and runs their business more effectively can still takeover the majority of market share.

Right now, the UFC has some major advantages. But if bellator makes some smart plays, they could eclipse the things the UFC has achieved.

Right now, it seems that most UFC fighters in bellator focus on making as much cash as they can by spending as little on fight camps as possible. Matt Mitrione, Bendo, Josh Thomson and some others look far less sharp and prepared in bellator than they did fighting in the UFC. That's not what bellator needs if they're going to be competitive imo.

The issue with sponsorships is also in question given that Bendo admitted he made less in sponsorships fighting in bellator than he would under the reebok deal in the UFC. 

Bellator trying to innovate by including kickboxing on their card and focusing on legacy fights like Ken Shamrock vs Royce Gracie and Dada5000 vs Kimbo Slice might be very smart moves on their part. I think Dada5000 vs Kimbo did better tv ratings than pretty much every UFC on Fox card ever.

Bellator needs to be innovative, smart, and hungry in a time when the UFC is complacent and they eventually could become the top MMA promotion.


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

Yeah they have beaten them by using those legacy fights to headline events where talent is put on the under card. It's pretty smart because that means they get talented fighters but the main eventers are who are drawing people. It is comparable to B pay per views with the UFC versus the major events that are headlined by guys like Conor.


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## UKMMAGURU (Nov 15, 2009)

For me Bellator are already a viable alternative to the UFC, they have already made some exciting signings as well as raising their own stars who I also find interesting. So long as the trend continues i'm extremely happy with the progress.


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## RangerClydeTheBlue (Jul 11, 2012)

UKMMAGURU said:


> For me Bellator are already a viable alternative to the UFC, they have already made some exciting signings as well as raising their own stars who I also find interesting. So long as the trend continues i'm extremely happy with the progress.


I feel this is less true than before.

Before, Bellator had a lot of guys that you'd consider to be "Bellator guys" People who had risen the ranks and made feel special. Who has Bellator developed in the last two years to feel like that? Rafael Carvalho, maybe soon Neiman Gracie, Daniel Weichel...who else really?

Most of the guys that I'm interested in in Bellator are either guys UFC didn't want anymore, or people I used to be interested in in Bellator. They've done a pretty terrible job of building stars, especially when you take into account that Conor McGregor was 2-0 in UFC when Scott Coker took over Bellator.


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## UKMMAGURU (Nov 15, 2009)

ClydebankBlitz said:


> I feel this is less true than before.
> 
> Before, Bellator had a lot of guys that you'd consider to be "Bellator guys" People who had risen the ranks and made feel special. Who has Bellator developed in the last two years to feel like that? Rafael Carvalho, maybe soon Neiman Gracie, Daniel Weichel...who else really?
> 
> Most of the guys that I'm interested in in Bellator are either guys UFC didn't want anymore, or people I used to be interested in in Bellator. They've done a pretty terrible job of building stars, especially when you take into account that Conor McGregor was 2-0 in UFC when Scott Coker took over Bellator.


I'd be tempted to not put a timeline on it, there are alot of factors to consider when building a fighter; their abilities, matching their abilities against the right opponent (ethics, fans etc), luck, geography etc

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_Bellator_fighters

Liam McGeary, MVP, Carvalho, Brennan Ward, Koreshkov, Njokuani, Michael Chandler, Rickels, Pat Curran etc are all Bellator made, obviously someone with a back catalogue going back to 2010 will have more to work off than somebody who is 3-0 in Bellator. I like the progress being made, I think all the added UFC names can be viewed as more opportunities for the 'pure' Bellator guys to use and get a bigger name off.


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## kantowrestler (Jun 6, 2009)

I think MVP was probably built into more of a star since Scott Coker took over then before. Before then Bjorn was concentrating on other fighters. You can say that no one has been built since Coker took over but in reality Coker is better for the progression of Bellator then Bjorn.


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