Benson Henderson: My phone keeps ringing, UFC fighters asking about move to Bellator

[BVG]

Like bellator wouldnt sell it self for reebok money.

I'm sure they would...HOWEVER...judging by the negative reaction the UFC is getting for their shitty structured deal with Reebok...I would say it would be bad buisness to follow the same mistake and as such have all your fighters leave to the next org that doesn't have a reebok deal...

 

[irishmac22]

Benson will be on InsideMMA on AXS TV tonight. Could be entertaining, its the show with that jagoff Kenny Rice who cut Askrens interview short and went on a rant about Ben being crazy and how EVERYBODY wants to be in the UFC.

"jagoff" Only Pittsburgh and Chicago say Jagoff. That said, couldn't agree more. Rice is a jagoff!

 

[fightdonttweet]

I hope so.

Nothing against the UFC. Just Reebok can go suck themselves.

We need happy, well fed fighters. Fuck you Reebok for taking money from these fighters that sacrifice their bodies for our sport.

The UFC is the one that made the deal and handling the distribution of money. All your anger should be directed towards them, not Reebok.

 

[BVG]

I hate to tell you breddahs

but the same thing will happen that has always happen (At least until the Fertittas pull out)

Dana can mismanage the UFC as poorly as he likes. A competitor gets big and looks like they might be a threat? He'll use the bottomless pool of cash (Fertittas) and buy them out.

It's worked well so far, but the Reebok deal shows even the Fertittas are tiring of MMA. They're trying to wring every last cent out of it ATM. They won't be in that much longer. Make no mistake - they got on MMA at the right time, and like smart businessmen, soon they'll see the writing on the wall and stop propping up Dana's dumb decisions.

So maybe Bellator will succeed and take over. Maybe it won't. Who knows? Dana's iron grip on the testicles of MMA is loosening, that's for damn sure.

Viacom has more money than the UFC and the Fertitas fella...

Should they ever decided to sell bellator, it's because the sport can't support two competing orgs...and as such 1 is not financially viable.

 

[Toco]

As far as MW I think they were about the same if not UFC slightly ahead cause of Anderson. Affliction did die quickly but people sure thought it was going to take over at the time.

yeah but bellator is going on since a long time now and coker seems to be smarter now, so i think they will be a legit threat to the ufc in the future

 

[Deleted member 429453]

He's content with being a big fish in a small pond. Six figures, new opportunities for sponsors, etc, would look enticing to anyone.

But is the potential of fighting only once a year, if that, worth it?

Dude already won ufc good

He's proven himself

Now he wants payday and nice life with the family

Bendo won

 

[Deleted member 429453]

Strikeforce 2.0 the second coming of Coker


And no that's not a hardcore bondage dvd

 

[StiG85]

wouldn't be like this if there was no Reebok. Reebok is just a virus inside the UFC, destroying it, fighter by fighter

 

[TheWalkinDude]

Hopefully more jump ship if it's better for them and their families.

In the long run it's better for fans too, more top talent split between orgs means better cards overall if you're wiling to watch non UFC events.

 

[Dutch Rudder]

Bellator better start looking for some serious investors....

 

[BVG]

Bellator better start looking for some serious investors....

Uhm...again...owned by Viacom. They don't need money. They need exposure. TV contracts, ppvs...better marketing. Their shit needs to be played at bars...that sort of thing.

 

[antithetic]

Outstanding Benson Henderson.

 

[HelloJapan]

Bellator better start looking for some serious investors....

 

[CountOfSoCal]

Dude already won ufc good

He's proven himself

Now he wants payday and nice life with the family

Bendo won

Fighters actually want to fight. If he fights once this year, then complains on social media in October about not getting a fight like Brooks is doing, that's not a win.

 

[CountOfSoCal]

Well, i'd assume it must be to him, otherwise he wouldn't haven't jumped ship, would he?

Too early to see. I'm sure Brooks thought his contract was worth it, now look at his situation.

 

[KantoTerror]

I feel Bendo was treated well by the UFC

yes but as soon as his contract expired...they don't feel like he's worth it anymore so they didn't match the offer. It has nothing to do with being treated bad...it was a business move by both parties involved.

 

[Daywalker300]

i find this news awesome im sorry but i love a rival promotion competing against each other makes better fights happen and we get more fights more often from both orgs i hope this happens

 

[KantoTerror]

wouldn't be like this if there was no Reebok. Reebok is just a virus inside the UFC, destroying it, fighter by fighter

I don't like the reebok deal as the next person...it wasn't really their fault. They offered the money for exclusive sponsor...guess who's signing the paper on the other end....

 

[Cry0Therapy737]

People are sick of Dana and didn't like it when they got their pay cut big time by the Reebok deal.

The UFC is a juggernaut so it will never die and it will always be #1 but this is a good chance for Bellator to at least get to where Strikeforce was as a solid number 2 worthy of our attention and putting on great fights.

 

[Philharmonik]

Glad some of these fighters are getting paid what they deserve. The more top fighters that jump ship at the end of their contracts the better. I really hope the UFC realizes what a failure the Reebok deal is and it goes away at some point. I would like to know how sales are for the shitty fight gear.