Why are more fighters/free agents going to Bellator from the UFC instead of going to UFC from BMMA?

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Bellator have signed UFC free agents such as Mousasi, Rory Mac, Bader, Davis, Larkin, Bendo, Mitrione, and Roy Nelson (among others).

On the other hand, the only Bellator free agents the UFC have signed recently are Volkov, Marcin Held, and Will Brooks.

It seems like many UFC fighters are fighting out their contracts in order to become free agents while not many Bellator fighters are doing the same.

Thoughts?
 
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Unless your ranked in the top 10 in UFC or a former/potential great. There is no more money on ufc than in rival promotions.. plus you get the advertising money.
 
They took Alvarez, Lombard, Brooks, etc when they wanted them

They don't want any of the stuff they got over there, hence why they are there in the 1st place
 
Bellator have signed UFC free agents such as Mousasi, Rory Mac, Bader, Davis, Larkin, Bendo, Mitrione, and Roy Nelson (among others).

On the other hand, the only Bellator free agents the UFC have signed recently are Volkov, Marcin Held, and Will Brooks.

It seems like many UFC fighters are fighting out their contracts in order to become free agents while not many Bellator fighters are doing the same.

Thoughts?

maybe there arent any fighters at Bellator that the UFC want or who are good enough to be top level UFC Fighters (apart from the ones they already signed)

and maybe the ones the UFC have let go are ones they dont want anymore.
 
This may be oversimplifying things, but Bellator has a much smaller roster.
 
It seems like many UFC fighters are fighting out their contracts in order to become free agents while not many Bellator fighters are doing the same.
Because the UFC is letting them go. They don't have to. Bellator won't. The guys Bellator is signing they are paying more because the fighters are worth more to Bellator than they are to the UFC. Even Bellator knows UFC is THE promotion.
 
I wonder, is the drug testing more relaxed in Bellator? If so many older fighters may flock there in an attempt to extend their career via performance enhancers.
 
I wonder, is the drug testing more relaxed in Bellator? If so many older fighters may flock there in an attempt to extend their career via performance enhancers.

I thought it was odd when they mentioned Storm and Moose had passed their drug tests.
 
UFC has ten times as many good fighters as Bellator so it makes sense more go from UFC to Bellator
 
Unless your ranked in the top 10 in UFC or a former/potential great. There is no more money on ufc than in rival promotions.. plus you get the advertising money.

Thats complete bullshit. Take a look at the pay on Bellator cards. Its even worse for the non top 10 or big name fighters. The undercard guys are making as low as 1k a fight
 
Usada and reebok is probably a deterrent for a lot of the Bellator guys.
 
I think a lot of these guys respect Scott Coker as well
 
It's pretty simple outside of Rory and I guess Moose. The UFC didn't really lose much letting those guys go to Bellator.

UFC has a long standing record of letting certain guys go to the competition that cost good money and don't draw. These guys are "salary anchors" in Bellator's books behind the scenes. For the UFC to pay someone 80K or 100K each time out is no big deal with there revenue. But for other ogs it becomes a massive expense for them and the people running the money expect returns on spending for guys like that( so far Bellator isn't seeing those returns in terms of ratings). Plus many of them they let go more or less have ran there course through the UFC.
 
It’s my belief that WME is more interested in investing in more charismatic fighters. Those guys get the more lucrative contracts while the biring personalities get less.

Mousasi has the personality of drying paint. Some guys might be ducking USADA testing. Others I probably overvalue themselves and think the extra sponsor money will be more than Reebok. Maybe in some cases it is, but not likely for most.
 
Unless your ranked in the top 10 in UFC or a former/potential great. There is no more money on ufc than in rival promotions.. plus you get the advertising money.

Even top 10 make more money in Bellator. Davis, Bader, Moose etc...
 
I thought it was odd when they mentioned Storm and Moose had passed their drug tests.
Probably athletic commissions requiring it as part of a physical. I saw on here that someone said Storm had a scheduled appointment at a Quest lab for his drug test. So he knew exactly when and where it was. Easier to get your cycles right when you know the tests my schedule
 
Unless your ranked in the top 10 in UFC or a former/potential great. There is no more money on ufc than in rival promotions.. plus you get the advertising money.
Not true. Look at how little the entry level guys in BMMA get payed.
 
Bellator have signed UFC free agents such as Mousasi, Rory Mac, Bader, Davis, Larkin, Bendo, Mitrione, and Roy Nelson (among others).

On the other hand, the only Bellator free agents the UFC have signed recently are Volkov, Marcin Held, and Will Brooks.

It seems like many UFC fighters are fighting out their contracts in order to become free agents while not many Bellator fighters are doing the same.

Thoughts?

Because the UFC didn't want them anymore, or they weren't worth what they were asking for, in WME's eyes.
 
Not true. Look at how little the entry level guys in BMMA get payed.

What i meant is if you are not a
Not true. Look at how little the entry level guys in BMMA get payed.

But fighters who have fought in the ufc aren't going to be on entry level money in bellator or rival promotions..
 
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