That's how PRIDE created stars. They'd put on matches with Japanese pro wrestlers who were famous, or other freakshow fights... and the rest of the card would be filled with REAL talent showcasing what they could do
Then once the Japanese fans saw guys like Minotauro, Fedor, CroCop, Herring, Wand, etc... and saw them beating their Japanese wrestling stars.. THEY were the ones who became the stars, and it leaned away from being headlined by pro wrestlers, to being all about the actual fighters.
It's a slow process, but a smart move. I'm interested to see how Bellator plays out in the next 2 years. SF was becoming a serious threat to the UFC when they started the HWGP, which is why Zuffa bought it out. Not a serious threat like "oh they're gonna take over"... but a threat in the sense fighters had leverage and negotiating power against the UFC. They had another option. They had a company whose broadcasts were doing massive ratings (5.7 mil peak on CBS for Fedor/Rogers) and crazy numbers for subscription network Showtime (1.2 mil peak PAID for Fedor/BigFoot)
Coker knows how to get eyeballs.. and now look at the SF fighters now.. They are all kicking ass in the UFC, big time. Rousey, Rockhold, Jacare, etc... And just like back then, people used to say "SF fighters suck, they are not on the same level as UFC guys".. Goofs.
I see Bellator right now the way SF was in 2007 or so. Slowly but surely gaining ground. Like when SF put on the Frank Shamrock vs Cesar Gracie show.. total mismatch freakshow fight.. but they showcased a ton of young talent in the under card.. same with their Bob Sapp vs Jan Nortje headliner.. these under cards had like Josh Thomson, Gil Melendez, Clay Guida, and many other future stars... and the eyeballs were on them because of the freakshow attractions.
Couple years later, those same guys that were on the undercard were the face of the promotion
Coker knows the deal. Smart dude.
