What else can Bellator do to compete?

Well it's hard for me to say. A lot of what was most successful for them would be considered freak show type fights. Kimbo/Shammy is a good example. A lot of what I think they should do they seem unwilling to do. I think they need to put on a HW title fight. Hell they can put Lashley in it and get some of that freakshow aspect but still kind of legit. I'm kinda cool with the freakshows but think they need to put on the best title fights too. Fedor/Kongo for HW title. Not too sure about the other divisions but put on the best title fights possible. Then mix in the freakshows just not for the belt. Royce just beat Ken Shamrock regardless of how it played it. Pit him against Dada 5000. Why not? Have Lashley fight a real top contender so he can face the Kongo/Fedor winner if he wins. Sign up more freakshows to mix in with them and then in all the other divisions keep with the legit competition. Cut wmma. Idk I'm drunk.
 
Also, no more Cheick Kongo main events, lol.
Cono has actually pulled decent ratings for Bellator time and time again. No surprise they boil him for main events
 
they need to focus more on the athletes and competition. the cartoonish stuff needs to end. WEC was a great example. sure it got absorbed into the UFC but it was an awesome legitimate org while it lasted and people took it seriously.
I don't think so. Athletes and competition can't compete with tmz style match up. Mma casual fans just want to see blood and story.
 
Bellator has 3 or 4 top guys in each division, mostly they take turns holding the belt. They bring in too many new guys just for one fight they hope will lose to their up-and-coming guys and when upset happens Bellator hides it under the carpet not talking about their up-and-coming guy again till they start winning again, and then it is never mentioned, and they are ok with them again.

Too me Bellator just need to match up same level guys and give them incentives to go all out. Incentives to prove they deserve a shot at a top guy in that division (a former or even current belt holder).
 
Bellator is cursed with bad luck and fights that turn bizarre. They need to get rid of whatever hex Bjorn left on the company.

Burn sage in the headquarters building, and in each venue the night before the event. Wards away bad spirits. I'm not superstitious at all, but at this point, it really wouldn't hurt.
 
Put together name fights at HW, instead of matching their name guys up with guys no one has ever heard of.
 
I don't think so. Athletes and competition can't compete with tmz style match up. Mma casual fans just want to see blood and story.

Agreed. For those saying that Bellator needs to focus on pure sport, look at wsof. Look at affliction. Dudes were trying to acquire legit talent and over paid big time. Affliction died quick. Wsof is a complete mess. Shit, look at the old Bellator. There is a reason they completely restructured and downsized. They were losing money, surely.


Casuals indeed like a wwe type of story. If they liked action first and foremost, lawler would be the most popular guy in the UFC.

There is an old saying in business that goes: "you sell the sizzle, not the steak"

People love a good build up. They love Some good hype. Why do u think chael, tito, bonnar all did so good? We all knew the fights were going to be shit, yet everyone tuned in. That's just how it is, at least in America.
 
I don't think so. Athletes and competition can't compete with tmz style match up. Mma casual fans just want to see blood and story.

Very true.

I just think some fans expect too much from Bellator. UFC has won the MMA war. Just like every major sport you have one form of that sport that reigns supreme and any other form of it fights for scraps.

Once people come to terms with that they can just sit back and enjoy some of the match ups the scraps give us.
 
My guess would be because he knows the people at Spike and knows Coker.

Between them they won't accomplish much.
Pretty much. Dana knows how much of a pushover Coker is. Bjorn actually seemed to have Dana worried for a bit.

Dana won't be worried as long as Bellator doesn't get their hands on the McGregor, Jones, or Ronda type of signings. Now those are real MMA stars.
 
Pretty much. Dana knows how much of a pushover Coker is. Bjorn actually seemed to have Dana worried for a bit.

Dana won't be worried as long as Bellator doesn't get their hands on the McGregor, Jones, or Ronda type of signings. Now those are real MMA stars.

They should go after Connor, they won't get him but he he'll play along just to show how powerful and wanted he is.
 
They have to realise they cant get the top top stars but they can use a mixed strategy of getting (1) older guys in shallow divisions, (2) the shafted guys in the deeper divisions and the (3) best guys in the forgotten division (4) eating up WSOF.

(1) The are already doing this in the heavyweight division. Potentially there's Roy Nelson, Hunt, Mir, Barnett and Duffee maybe? At LHW maybe Glover, Latifi and Krylov and Cirkunov.

(2) They have to target guys that have been shafted but still have potential to become stars and have some what of a name. Guys like Iaquinta, Michael Chiesa, RDA, Mousasi, Jacare, Rockhold, Stun Gun, Magny, Saffiedine, Masvidal, Means, Jim Miller, Ross Pearson, Dunham, Koch, Khabilov, Lamas, Elkins, Michael Mcdonald, Myles Jury.

(3) Build a strong FW Division around Horiguchi and the TUF guys and Ali Bagutinov.

(4) Shawn Jordan and Ivanov would be great additions to the HW. Spong at LHW. Okami, Shields, Fitch, Nurmagemedov at WW. Gaethje and Zeferino at LW. Marlon Moraes at BTW.

Also, don't shy away from inter promotional events with ONE. ONE is doing things in Asia that UFC can't or won't do. Bellator could use that rub. There's lot of raw smaller guys in Asia.

Oh yeah, forget about the women's division. Invicta and UFC have those on lock.
 
I think a yearly ppv event that you can promote as a Superbowl or wrestlemania is a start. Just one ppv, give it the same month every year. Put all your big names on the card from Fedor,Rampage,king mo,Rory,MVP,Chael all on one show.

Also, sponsor a yearly U23 tournament. Promote youth and development in MMA.
 
Pretty much. Dana knows how much of a pushover Coker is. Bjorn actually seemed to have Dana worried for a bit.

Dana won't be worried as long as Bellator doesn't get their hands on the McGregor, Jones, or Ronda type of signings. Now those are real MMA stars.
Disagree. No way in hell Dana was more worried about bjorn Bellator than Coker Bellator.

Bjorns Bellator would draw flies at the gate. Tourneys were a rough system, and it ran its course. There is a reason spike downsized and restructured.

Ratings are very similar to Coker's, but one thing to keep in mind is that bjorn didn't do international events. Most of bellators international events are the lower rated shows in the states. Huge Tape delay, and a shift in advertising budgets factor in Im sure. the card headlines by Budd and marloes drew much more than the Irish card headlines by McGeary in the states.


Also, Bellator also has the most tv deals it has ever had under Coker..

Bellator has poached its best talent from UFC under Coker, and it has broken records over and over under Coker.

Ufc would worry more about Coker before bjorn imo.
 
They have to realise they cant get the top top stars but they can use a mixed strategy of getting (1) older guys in shallow divisions, (2) the shafted guys in the deeper divisions and the (3) best guys in the forgotten division (4) eating up WSOF.

(1) The are already doing this in the heavyweight division. Potentially there's Roy Nelson, Hunt, Mir, Barnett and Duffee maybe? At LHW maybe Glover, Latifi and Krylov and Cirkunov.

(2) They have to target guys that have been shafted but still have potential to become stars and have some what of a name. Guys like Iaquinta, Michael Chiesa, RDA, Mousasi, Jacare, Rockhold, Stun Gun, Magny, Saffiedine, Masvidal, Means, Jim Miller, Ross Pearson, Dunham, Koch, Khabilov, Lamas, Elkins, Michael Mcdonald, Myles Jury.

(3) Build a strong FW Division around Horiguchi and the TUF guys and Ali Bagutinov.

(4) Shawn Jordan and Ivanov would be great additions to the HW. Spong at LHW. Okami, Shields, Fitch, Nurmagemedov at WW. Gaethje and Zeferino at LW. Marlon Moraes at BTW.

Also, don't shy away from inter promotional events with ONE. ONE is doing things in Asia that UFC can't or won't do. Bellator could use that rub. There's lot of raw smaller guys in Asia.

Oh yeah, forget about the women's division. Invicta and UFC have those on lock.

Good post all around.

As much as we hate it. The kimbo/ Tito fights were big sellers for Bellator. They need guys like this to draw big crowds and big ratings.

Looking to capture legit talent who fall through the cracks in the UFC is a must as well. A Duffy would be a good example. Feel like the UFC could have used him a lot better. Bellator seems to have a real interest in Ireland; Duffy could help them with those shows for sure.

What Bellator needs to start doing is filling out its divisions. Bellator is signing prospects, and have some legit fighters in most of their divisions. Problem is there is a huge gap between prospects and top of the division. They need foghtwrs who could bridge the gap between top 3 and super young prospects
 
Good post all around.

As much as we hate it. The kimbo/ Tito fights were big sellers for Bellator. They need guys like this to draw big crowds and big ratings.

Looking to capture legit talent who fall through the cracks in the UFC is a must as well. A Duffy would be a good example. Feel like the UFC could have used him a lot better. Bellator seems to have a real interest in Ireland; Duffy could help them with those shows for sure.

What Bellator needs to start doing is filling out its divisions. Bellator is signing prospects, and have some legit fighters in most of their divisions. Problem is there is a huge gap between prospects and top of the division. They need foghtwrs who could bridge the gap between top 3 and super young prospects

Thanks!

Something else that they can do and make them stand apart is to have a tournament for budding 0-0 fighters and attach a lets say 50k carrot for the winner. It would attract the cream of the 0-0s because UFC won't touch them and it would be much higher than what other ppl can afford and a HUGE payday for new fighters. I'm sure there are NCAA or ADDC or kick boxing guys or just young amateur that wanna try their hand in MMA.
 
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