11/22/23: A Comprehensive Look At PFL's Acquisition of Bellator
PFL's historic purchase of Bellator leads the MMA headlines for Wednesday
Welcome to the Wednesday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today’s issue includes a long report on PFL’s purchase of Bellator, plus lots of notes from around the world of MMA. Let’s dive in.
PFL Purchases Bellator, Plans To Use Promotion As ‘One-Off’ Brand
A new era for Bellator has begun.
PFL has acquired Bellator from Paramount Global and plans to continue the promotion as one of their brands next year, per an announcement made Monday. PFL’s acquisition of Bellator — which could arguably be described as the second or third-most prominent U.S.-based MMA promotion — comes after months of speculation about its future.
For months, reports suggested that the walls were closing in on Bellator. Insiders have said since mid-2023 that Bellator was for sale. The promotion was put under extra stress in October, when its current TV channel — Showtime — announced that it would shutter its sports division at the end of 2023.
The sale of Bellator means that the promotion will be able to keep its identity under new ownership.
A press release issued by PFL this week said that the plan is for Bellator to become a “‘one-off’ event product from PFL.” PFL plans on presenting eight events next year under their new “Bellator International Champions Series” banner. Each card will include two title fights with Bellator titleholders.
PFL also plans on hosting an annual “PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions” event, where the titleholders in both promotions face off in non-title fights. This would include bouts at men’s heavyweight, light heavyweight, welterweight, middleweight, lightweight, featherweight, and women’s featherweight, per New York Post reporter Scott Fontana.
PFL founder and co-owner Donn Davis explained the promotion’s new plan when he joined The MMA Hour earlier this week. The long-time venture capitalist explained that acquiring Bellator would help the promotion with their ambitious plan to hold 32 events next year.
Davis explained that PFL has absorbed 210 fighters from the Bellator roster, and that they are all now considered PFL fighters going forward. Whether they will compete in the PFL season or the select Bellator events will be determined soon.
“We’ll talk to managers and fighters and say ‘what’s the best product for you and what’s the best product for the fans?’” Davis explained to MMA Hour host Ariel Helwani. “You’ll either fight twice a year on the Bellator International Champions Series, or you’ll fight in the PFL League Season. Your choice.”
Davis mentioned that they are currently pursuing a new broadcast rights deal for Bellator and hope to announce it in January. As for the main PFL broadcasts, which have a deal with ESPN nearing its end, Davis said their new deal has already been negotiated and will be announced in just over two weeks.
The plan is for Bellator to remain as a separate brand from PFL’s league events. However, Davis was transparent about the fact that this could change, depending on how well it goes.
“This could last one year, this could last forever,” said Davis, when discussing the plan of having the Bellator name attached to their one-off events.
A part of Bellator’s identity that may change is their selection of location. While the promotion has traditionally mainly held cards in the U.S. and periodically appeared in Europe, Davis said the promotion going forward will likely have the majority of its events take place outside of the U.S.
Next year, PFL hopes to have five different brands within their company: PFL League Season, PFL PPV Super Fights, PFL Challenger Series, PFL International Leagues, and Bellator.
While no events have been announced for the 2024 calendar year, Davis mentioned the plan to hold a Bellator event in March, and then kick off the PFL regular season one month after.
Notes On: UFC, Bellator, Cage Warriors, CFFC & ONE Championship
Dan Hooker (23-12) has withdrawn from his December 2nd UFC bout against Bobby Green (31-14-1) due to an arm injury, as reported Tuesday by Christopher Reive of the New Zealand Herald. The bout was scheduled to be in the co-main event slot of a card from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, USA. UFC is reportedly on the hunt for a new opponent that Green could face.
Two women’s fights have joined UFC’s December 9th card, which was originally targeted for China but will now take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
A pair of fighters will make their UFC debuts when Rayanne dos Santos (14-6) faces Talita Alencar (4-0-1) at strawweight, per Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting. Dos Santos joined the UFC roster after earning the Invicta FC Atomweight Championship earlier this year. Alencar has picked up four wins and one draw since turning pro in 2021. That draw came against Stephanie Luciano on “Dana White’s Contender Series” this summer.
After winning her UFC debut in August with a first-round finish victory against Juliana Miller, Luana Santos (6-1) will face Stephanie Egger (8-4) in a bantamweight bout, as first reported by AgFight. Egger has won three of her six UFC appearances since 2020.
Two bouts have joined UFC 298, which will go down on February 17th.
Heavyweights Marcos Rogerio de Lima (21-9-1) and Justin Tafa (7-3) will meet, as revealed by Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting on Monday. Rogerio De Lima will be trying to bounce back from a 33-second loss he took to Derrick Lewis in July. For Tafa, he’ll be trying to keep an unbeaten streak going that he has maintained through three finish wins.
A light heavyweight bout between Zhang Mingyang (16-6) and Brendson Ribeiro (15-5) that was originally booked for UFC’s December 9th card has been moved to next year, per Léo Guimaraes.
A couple more notes from Donn Davis’ conversation with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour about Bellator:
Davis said they haven’t decided if the finals for the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix will take place. Last weekend, Alexander Shabliy (24-3) defeated Patricky Pitbull (25-12) to move into the finals of the bracket. He is currently without an opponent, as fellow finalist Usman Nurmagomedov (17-0) was removed from the tournament after failing a drug test in the state of California.
Davis also mentioned that Bellator could have a slight rule difference compared to PFL. While no elbows are allowed in PFL bouts, elbows may be allowed on Bellator cards.
A pair of bouts have been added to Cage Warriors 165, which will take place on December 15th from San Diego, California, USA.
After scoring his first pro win on a Tuff-N-Uff card in September, Xavier Vines (1-1) will meet Miguel Peimbert (2-3) at bantamweight.
Also in a bantamweight fight, pro rookie Johnny Gill Jr. (1-0) will face James Settle (4-5).
Two more fights have been announced for CFFC 128, which will take place on December 15th from Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA.
Three-fight CFFC vet Manny Morales (3-1) will return in search of his third consecutive win against Rogelio Melgoza (5-5).
Middleweights Nick Galanti (0-0) and Jahrael Cromartie (0-0) will make their pro debuts. Galanti spent his entire six-fight amateur career in CFFC, attaining four wins and two losses.
ONE Championship has announced three MMA fights as part of their “Friday Fights 42” card, which will take place this weekend from the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Returning just over a month after winning his ONE debut, Zayundin Suleymanov (6-0) will face fellow undefeated flyweight Sanzhar Zakirov (8-0). Zakirov earned a ONE win in August, then won a one-night, four-man tourmanet in Russia a few weeks ago.
Coming off a pro debut win in India, Sumit Bhyan will go up against Matheus Pereira (3-3) in a welterweight contest.
After a pair of first-round wins in EFC Global, Asylbek Almazbekov (2-0) will meet pro newcomer Bismark Gomes (0-0) at middleweight.