HW champ: Return to Bellator will depend on contract negotiations

[Wild]

It has been 19 months since heavyweight champion Vitaly Minakov defended his title against Cheick Kongo at Bellator 115.

Since that night in Reno, Nevada, Minakov has not fought under the Bellator banner. He compiled a 3-0 record while fighting for Russian regional promotion Fight Nights, which is owned and operated by his manager Kamil Gadzhiev. Most recently, the undefeated Russian beat former UFC fighter Josh Copeland by submission.

So why did Minakov opt to fight in his native land instead of for the promotion he was contractually obligated to? If you ask him, he is not certain why Bellator didn't strip him of the title.

"I'm actually surprised that over the past two years, the belt has not been defended." Minakov told BloodandSweat.ru.

Minakov explained that his return to Bellator would depend on whether the promotional brass is willing to match his contract demands.

"Whether I defend or not will depends on the company Bellator, which is now being negotiated for improvement of our contract. I think everything is possible. And the fact that they have not played in two years of my absence, even temporary championship belt, speaks volumes."

LINK: Heavyweight champ: My return to Bellator will depend on contract negotiations

 

[TheEmperorRises]

Coker said he's hopeful they'll get it worked out for a mid 2016 return

 

[HEATH VON DOOM]

Because the HW division is a black hole of losing money. See how the UFC HW is working out

 

[Papi Chingon]

Has bellator ever created a fake belt?

 

[Obi-Wan-In-A-Million]

This seems strangely like how Scott Coker handled the Strikeforce HW title when Overeem held it. He must not be a big HW fan or something, because this is a strange way to handle this situation. Both situations actually.

 

[Wild]

This seems strangely like how Scott Coker handled the Strikeforce HW title when Overeem held it. He must not be a big HW fan or something, because this is a strange way to handle this situation. Both situations actually.

I think he is in a really tricky situation here, because of how thin the HW division is...especially w/ regards to name value. He doesn't have any HW stars or household names in that division, so it's sort of a slippery slope. I guarantee you that he would love nothing more than to so another Grand Prix, like he did in Strikeforce. He just doesn't have Reem, Cormier, Bigfoot, Fedor, etc. Hopefully he can sign Reem and Mitrione, Fortune bursts on the scene, and he can find 3-4 more up & comers.

 

[Obi-Wan-In-A-Million]

I think he is in a really tricky situation here, because of how thin the HW division is...especially w/ regards to name value. He doesn't have any HW stars or household names in that division, so it's sort of a slippery slope. I guarantee you that he would love nothing more than to so another Grand Prix, like he did in Strikeforce. He just doesn't have Reem, Cormier, Bigfoot, Fedor, etc. Hopefully he can sign Reem and Mitrione, Fortune bursts on the scene, and he can find 3-4 more up & comers.

I would love to see another stacked Grand Prix like the Strikeforce one. Maybe he'll resign Minakov and then go after some of the other big name free agents. This last year or so has been encouraging, seeing fighters sign great deals outside of the UFC or at least getting them to match those great deals. Apparently, Bellator/Viacom aren't scared to use the 'ol checkbook so maybe they'll land at least 1-2 big names HWs.

Every time another awesome promotion (WEC,Strikeforce, Elite XC, Pride, WFA, etc.) dies, we lose some of the things that made the sport so fun. The UFC sticks to what they do well, which is fights based on rankings. Every now and then you get a Tony vs Couture or a Hughes vs Gracie, but not that often. Other organizations do the one-night tournaments, Grand Prix, and the fun, freak show fights. It's a shame when they fold and the UFC takes over as the only option again.

At least now I'm learning that kind of thing goes in cycles.