Scott Coker says changes coming to Bellator in 2015

[shonuf]

http://www.mmafighting.com/2014/10/18/6989457/coker-says-changing-coming-to-bellator-in-2015

it's a pretty long article so click the link and actually read it. :wink:

Right now there is a basic battle plan. Once per month, on Friday nights, year around, there will be a live show on Spike. Three or four times a year, also on Spike, there will be big shows on Saturday nights, loaded up with stars and heavily promoted.

The final show of the year, on Nov. 15 show in San Diego, will be the prototype of the Saturday night major show concept.

 

[VIP1349]

Know some people dislike it but I've been calling for this since before Coker came in. Just works best, makes the shows feel like they matter rather then just another Bellator event. They have a lot of talent, but not enough to handle the amount of shows they were putting on.

Why should new fans tune into shows like Straus vs Wilcox, Neer vs Bradley, Manhoef vs Marshall? There wasn't really any reason.

Now you can have big shows that matter. Prelims that aren't guys with losing records to fill it out. And we can get excited for every show now.

I'm pumped.

 

[Deleted member 158611]

Sounds good to me. I like the new schedule.

I'm also excited to hear that tournaments aren't out completely. Hopefully we see a good one soon.

 

[shonuf]

I wish they just scrapped Bellator and started over. I 've seen plenty of people say the same thing on different sites. Imo they need to just start over and rebrand.

I do like the idea of bigger shows but i have to admit i like having something to watch each week. i will be bored.

 

[gspfedkobe24]

Let me give Bellator a bit of advice stop the 3 hour delay for the west coast viewers that's #1 and # 2 sign world class fighters... the level of fighters they have right now is unacceptable for a org that's on Spike TV.....

 

[ebartlett84]

The show features UFC Hall of Famers Tito Ortiz (17-11-1) vs. Stephan Bonnar (15-8) in the main event. Will Brooks (14-1) vs. Michael Chandler (12-2) will have a five-round rematch for the company's lightweight title. King Mo Lawal (13-4, 1 no contest) faces Tom DeBlass (9-2). And the show opens with a Coker favorite fight, Melvin Manhoef (29-11-1, 1 no contest) vs. Joe Schilling.

The writer forgot to put Schilling's record. Oversight, I'm sure.

 

[VIP1349]

I wish they just scrapped Bellator and started over. I 've seen plenty of people say the same thing on different sites. Imo they need to just start over and rebrand.

I do like the idea of bigger shows but i have to admit i like having something to watch each week. i will be bored.

I mean the brand seems to be getting a decent amount of viewers every week, they just aren't growing. I mean how do you rebrand at this point? Seems like it would be more of an issue then anything. The Bellator brand already has a decent following, though if you just called it SpikeTV MMA it wouldn't be the worst idea.

 

[shonuf]

I mean the brand seems to be getting a decent amount of viewers every week, they just aren't growing. I mean how do you rebrand at this point? Seems like it would be more of an issue then anything. The Bellator brand already has a decent following, though if you just called it SpikeTV MMA it wouldn't be the worst idea.

the time and channel gets the ratings imo. The Bellator name means nothing imo. They could put anything on at that time as far as mma and get those ratings.

They should just scrap it and bring back a strikeforce clone at this point, except have the better spike production, because SF had awful production as far as music and camera work etc.

 

[LHWBelt]

The writer forgot to put Schilling's record. Oversight, I'm sure.

Pretty good card. I'm actually most excited for Tito vs. Bonnar lol. I think that's going to be a war. Both guys are past their best but I imagine this fight will be similar to those Tito vs. Forrest fights. Cool to see Bonnar come out of retirement for a cool fight like this.

 

[Pittie Petey]

I like that hes gonna try to reestablish a home here in the Bay Area
Hasnt been the same since StrikeForce left

 

[CoffeeAndBeer]

So nothing new?

This basic plan was announced months ago.


Haven't read it yet, but was anything new announced?

 

[Organic Damage]

What happened to PPV? Not that I would pay, or anything, just curious.

 

[CoffeeAndBeer]

Manhoef vs Schilling might steal the show..
Fight of the Night, of all three events.

 

[Slongkong]

What happened to PPV? Not that I would pay, or anything, just curious.

build the stars in 2015 then go back to PPV 2016

 

[Francis Rossi]

Got some signings to announce as well? Maybe they can get Don Frye and Dan Severn out of retirement to headline some cards?

 

[sdaccount]

Coker has been in the fight business for a long time and I would think that he knows what he is doing. When he was manning SF, many fans would rip him and now the same fans are nodding in his approval.

 

[CoffeeAndBeer]

So, a couple of news bits...

- Spike is expanding into the U.K. which opens things up for holding a live event there down the road. And they're looking at Latinoamerica too.

- And Coker is expressly looking to establish home bases for Bellator; markets/cities that they'll regularly hold events in (i.e. The Bay, So Cal, St. Louis, Tri-state area)...

"You also develop a fan base of loyal supporters," he said. "That's what I've found. And there's something about continuity. If you go to a city two times a year, if fans know you'll be there every April and October, they'll expect it, put it on their calendar, and support it."

 

[sodomanaz]

"You also develop a fan base of loyal supporters," he said. "That's what I've found. And there's something about continuity. If you go to a city two times a year, if fans know you'll be there every April and October, they'll expect it, put it on their calendar, and support it."

Another bit borrowed from WWE (at least it's how it's done here in Milwaukee and Green Bay). Not that he's wrong to do it at all. Curious if they'll throw a presale code out during the show for the second half of the year event. You've pretty much sold half the venue in the future this way.

 

[Francis Rossi]

Coker has been in the fight business for a long time and I would think that he knows what he is doing. When he was manning SF, many fans would rip him and now the same fans are nodding in his approval.

The Frank Shamrock/Cesar Gracie debacle aside, no-one ripped into him until his bending over for M-1 pretty much killed Strikeforce.

 

[JonSnitchPhones]

I fail to see how Bellator 131 is a major show as presently constructed. The prelims from what I've seen are weak, and the main card consists heavily of other org's retreads. Worse, they are facing each other multiple cases. And one who isn't is 1-3. I don't care if he's a good kickboxer. This is MMA. If you're going to do a Bellator/Glory combo event, then label it as such. They aren't building stars in Bonnar, DeBlass, and 2-3 Pat Schilling if they win. And the stars they could brighten like the Chandler/Brooks winner they are dimming by relegating them to the co-main. That's wishful thinking by Slongkong that Spikeforce is building stars in 2015 to have a ppv in 2016. That's not what's happening.

I'm not totally averse to going in a different direction and having a monthly instead of weekly show, because that separates them from what UFC is now in a different way than the tournaments also did. But their card creating and matchmaking execution for it is very poor like it has been since Coker has arrived and a little before that. Viacom aren't really building anything, they are eroding it.

I like that they are planning to do a show in the U.K. though. I've called for that and suspected it for a while. Let's see it sooner rather than later with McGeary, Sass, Sinclair, etc. prepared to come off the shelf. I'm talking like a December or January event. That fits fighter schedules, and they can't themselves schedule far in advance for their Saturday shows lest risk the UFC countering them.