And it has to have international reach as well.
Yes. I am not sure what their international reach is at this point other than what I see here. I think they have a ton of international potential. Especially with guys like Daley and MVP but am not sure they've capitalized on it.
M
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@BJJMMA and
@Yossarian I agree with both of you that they need to do better on their broadcast availability and presence (production is great though, better than the UFC in certain regards IMO). I too am hoping that with the new Paramount change over, it opens up new possibilities for them, but overall better broadcast promotion would really go a long way..... With the UFC putting out shit cards, and charging for them, all Bellator has to do is let people know that they are offering comparable or even better cards for free, that alone will generate more views.
If they could jump over to CBS and broadcast on CBSSports like UFC does on FS1 it would make a huge difference in my opinion. Especially if they could do it without the never ending barrage of commercials the UFC has.
It might happen. This has been a rumor for the last week or so and could be huge for Bellator.
Reunited? CBS and Viacom Are Talking About It
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If this happens, it could be a MAJOR coup in the MMA world, I bet you'll see a LOT of changes from the UFC and WME to try to keep their fighters happy..... CUE UP MORE FIGHTER RETREATS!!!!
Bellator will overtake the UFC within 5 years as long as they can continue to improve their product.
As of right now they have done a great job signing a lot of known names from the UFC, this is very similar to what the WCW did in the 90's when they rose to the top of the wrestling World. A big part of the WCW's success was picking up all the old washed up talent the WWF felt they didn't need anymore. What happened is that fans knew these old timers and would tune in to still see them perform, it helped WCW overtake the WWF in ratings for a period of time.
This is exactly what is going on in the MMA world now ...History repeating itself. UFC is letting go of fighters they don't feel are worth the money and Bellator is snatching them right up and giving them a shot.
Bellator has to be sure to make legend vs. legend fights before throwing them to their young bucks coming up.
Bellator is in a good position, they need to continue to be creative with their match making - promoting events - and tournaments, as long as they remain creative and innovative and stay away from copying the past they will have great success.
As of right now they have done a great job signing a lot of known names from the UFC, this is very similar to what the WCW did in the 90's when they rose to the top of the wrestling World. A big part of the WCW's success was picking up all the old washed up talent the WWF felt they didn't need anymore. What happened is that fans knew these old timers and would tune in to still see them perform, it helped WCW overtake the WWF in ratings for a period of time.
This is exactly what is going on in the MMA world now ...History repeating itself. UFC is letting go of fighters they don't feel are worth the money and Bellator is snatching them right up and giving them a shot.
Bellator has to be sure to make legend vs. legend fights before throwing them to their young bucks coming up.
Bellator is in a good position, they need to continue to be creative with their match making - promoting events - and tournaments, as long as they remain creative and innovative and stay away from copying the past they will have great success.
It’s what allowed Strikeforce to become a threat. Them getting Fedor on cbs and getting 5 million viewers was huge at the time. If this comes together and they can get the Grand Prix final or something like Chandler vs Pitbull on CBS. The gap could nearly close over night.
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Exactly... And the thing for me is, I'm not anti UFC, I have friends that fight for both Orgs.... I just want a competitive market and pay for these fighters, so that they don't have to deal with the "where else are you going to go? Keep your mouth shut and do as we say" attitude that is going on in the world of MMA, especially by the UFC. As a business, I understand why the UFC wants to be in the driver's seat, making all the money it can, but legitimately they (as you know Matt) do it at the cost of their roster.
I agree. It would be a giant step in the right direction for Bellator. Seems that the merger talks are pretty serious as I’ve read that stock for the companies have actually gone up because of the talks.
I would love to have Bellator on cbs and paramount. Network tv events would definitely help them a ton.
Wow. I missed this somehow in the news cycle. This would be huge. If they could turn on a dime Fedor/Mir on CBS could do solid numbers. Yes they are both old and well passed their prime but it is a fight many have wanted to see for a long time.
That would be big.