Why is there not more hype behind Bellator's talent pool and are cross-promotional bouts the answer?
The acquisition of former Bellator Lightweight champion Michael Chandler by the UFC was not surprising to many. His credentials speak for themselves. An NCAA Division 1 All-American wrestler, former 3-time world champion and a decade in and around the top of a very competitive division. Certainly a formidable resumé. Furthermore, his immediate appointment as the back-up for Khabib vs Gaethje at UFC 254 showed Dana White’s faith in his athletic talents. Chandler has certainly made his presence known in the short time he has been part of the promotion, calling out Tony Ferguson for a fight in January which is yet to materialise and also calling for a Grand-Prix style tournament to decide the new Lightweight champion.
While you have to admire the waves Chandler has made not only in his brief time in the UFC but also previously in Bellator, I have been left to question why the UFC did not make moves to sign current two-weight world champion Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire. Pitbull is after all the last man to beat Chandler in his illustrious career, avenging the loss of his brother Patricky to become double champ.
After Bellator 252, which saw ‘Pitbull’ score a devastating KO against SBG Ireland’s Pedro Carvalho, Bellator president Scott Coker supported ‘Pitbull’s’ statement that he was indeed the best Featherweight on the planet. In an interview for MMAJunkie, Coker stated ‘We’re lucky to have him. He’s been a great fighter for us. He’s been a great ambassador for us’ . Freire now advances to the featherweight grand-prix semi-finals where he will face Emmanuel Sanchez. The two have faced off before at Bellator 209 where ‘Pitbull’ earned himself a majority decision victory. Sanchez has shown significant improvements since his loss to Daniel Weichel in 2016, winning 7 out of 8 fights since, the only loss coming to the champion. This tournament style of fighting resembling the early days of MMA in Pride FC is one that many wish would be introduced into the UFC, but it is unlikely that we will see this format in the near future of Dana White’s promotion.
Scott Coker in the past has appeared to have found the perfect model for showcasing the talent pool of his promotion against others, the most notable example being the cross-promotional bouts between Bellator and Rizin Fighting Federation. In April 2019, a rematch between Darrion Caldwell and Kyoji Horiguchi was announced for the Bellator Bantamweight title. Horiguchi if victorious would be obligated to defend the Bantamweight belt once a year whilst still being able to fight in Rizin. The Rizin fighter did go on to defeat Caldwell by unanimous decision but was forced to vacate the title due injury.
Former referee and current Bellator colour commentator John McCarthy believes that the reason Dana White is reluctant to create cross-promotional fights is due to the move of Chuck Liddell to Pride FC for their 2003 Middleweight Grand Prix. Liddell entered the tournament after his defeat to Randy Couture and was the official UFC representative. After defeating Alistair Overeem in the first round of the grand prix, Liddell was subsequently eliminated by Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson. The loss impacted Liddell’s marketability and having seen no benefit of cross-promotional fights, Dana White stated ‘I’m never going to do that again’ . With such a plethora of talent in the UFC across all weight divisions, it’s a shame that one bad experience appears to have turned White off the idea of cross-promotion, especially when we consider the success of the Bellator and Rizin collaboration.
The difficulty for Scott Coker and his fighters is that they will almost always be overlooked because they aren’t a part of the UFC. The continual exponential growth of the UFC has kept it at the top of the game, regardless of the success of Bellator, meaning that any champion under Scott Coker will never really be viewed in the same guise as a UFC champion. Ryan Bader is a key example. ‘Darth’ Bader spent eight years in the UFC before moving to Bellator, where he won both the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight belts. Bader’s losses are reflective of the calibre of competition that can be found in the UFC. Losses to Anthony Johnson, Glover Teixeira, Jon Jones, Lyoto Machida and Tito Ortiz are nothing to be ashamed of. However, his Bellator victories that include wins over a 42-year-old Fedor Emelianenko and Matt Mitrione who currently holds and 13-8 record hardly set the world on fire.
Bader is a prime example of a big name in Bellator that failed to hit the heights in the UFC but found success against lower calibre opposition in Bellator. Luckily this is not a complete reflection of the Bellator roster, which holds names such as Douglas Lima, current three-time Bellator Welterweight champ and one of the best in the game. Gegard Mousasi, former fighter for the UFC, current middleweight champion who holds a victory of Lima and Rory Macdonald and has an insane resume. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane the undefeated Flyweight champion can’t be overlooked either.
Bellator is without a doubt a talent-rich promotion, and I hope one day we can see just how good their fighters are versus the UFC’s so that they can get the respect they deserve.
~ James Eakin
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