Bellator Not Telling Fighters Who They're Fighting

[AronaBeatsJones]

So Sonnen didn't know he was going to be in the tournament until Bellator had released the poster and announced the GP.

When they originally announced Mitrione-Emelianenko, apparently Mitrione signed the contract blind and found out that he was fighting Emelianenko once he came down the aisle (or so he said).

I think there's another instance where a fighter learned who he was fighting in a similar manner.

How is this even possible? I mean, I kind of enjoy it from a fan's perspective (it being like pro wrestling with the surprise element), but if I'm a fighter, how can you book me for a fight without telling me who I'm fighting? Why does Bellator do this? And how do fighters / management allow it?

 

[Kingz]

PRIDE style

I like it.

 

[Poser Caust]

That's the way it should be. Nobody sucks nobody it's a better way of sorting out who the best truly is.

 

[mime]

Cant duck if you dont know the opponent...id go even further and not tell them until their opponent walks out into the cage...total surprise

 

[GearSolidMetal]

When they originally announced Mitrione-Emelianenko, apparently Mitrione signed the contract blind and found out that he was fighting Emelianenko once he came down the aisle (or so he said).

That explains how he suddenly got kidney stones and said he couldn't fight.




J/K. That fight was announced months in advance, and rescheduled 6 months later.

I like Chael, but he's full of shit here.

 

[Danespina]

Cant duck if you dont know the opponent...id go even further and not tell them until their opponent walks out into the cage...total surprise

Get those WWE reactions as a surprise opponent makes his way down ramp.

The Oh Shit Not Him

Or the It's Going To Be An Easy Night

 

[Kingz]

Get those WWE reactions as a surprise opponent makes his way damn ramp.

The Oh Shit Not Him

Or The It's Going To Be An Easy Night

 

[DaPunkMinowaMan]

That explains how he suddenly got kidney stones and said he couldn't fight.




J/K. That fight was announced months in advance, and rescheduled 6 months later.

I like Chael, but he's full of shit here.

"but he's full of shit here"

 

[AronaBeatsJones]

J/K. That fight was announced months in advance, and rescheduled 6 months later.

Fedor vs. Mitrione was announced ahead of time. Unless Mitrione was living isolated from civilization, he wouldn’t know he was scheduled to fight Fedor until the day of the fight.

“It was such a surprise,” Mitrione told MMAjunkie Radio on Monday. “Honestly, I thought it was going to be ‘Rampage.’ And he started to walk out in that sweater of all things, I thought, ‘Oh, good God, this is great.’

“Totally legit – I was under the impression that Fedor was having issues in M-1, and there wasn’t going to be a co-branding with Bellator. So I was under the impression that Fedor wasn’t the scoop, and I also heard that Fedor was fighting Shane Carwin.”​

http://mmajunkie.com/2016/11/matt-m...melianenko-announced-as-bellator-172-opponent

And Sonnen only lies when it's tactical. Otherwise, he's dead honest about things that there's no reason to bullshit about, and is extremely loyal to his promoters, so it would make no sense for him to claim this if it wasn't true.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

“It was such a surprise,” Mitrione told MMAjunkie Radio on Monday. “Honestly, I thought it was going to be ‘Rampage.’ And he started to walk out in that sweater of all things, I thought, ‘Oh, good God, this is great.’

“Totally legit – I was under the impression that Fedor was having issues in M-1, and there wasn’t going to be a co-branding with Bellator. So I was under the impression that Fedor wasn’t the scoop, and I also heard that Fedor was fighting Shane Carwin.”​

http://mmajunkie.com/2016/11/matt-m...melianenko-announced-as-bellator-172-opponent

And Sonnen only lies when it's tactical. Otherwise, he's dead honest about things that there's no reason to bullshit about, and is extremely loyal to his promoters, so it would make no sense for him to claim this if it wasn't true.

So... Mitrione is full of shit?

 

[AronaBeatsJones]

That’s still several months ahead...

Fedor didn’t walkout with his sweater on fight day or even at the weigh ins.

And Sonnen isn't finding out he's fighting Rampage on fight day either.

You've missed the point.

 

[Edwin]

And Sonnen isn't finding out he's fighting Rampage on fight day either.

You've missed the point.

I clearly did. For some reason I misread the OP and thought you were saying they had no idea who they were fighting until fight day which obviously wasn’t what you were saying. Sorry.

 

[Clippy]

But how are you suppose to watch hours and hours of your opponent's previous fight footage to see how you can exploit a weakness rather than train to be good yourself?