News Bellator sale talks heating up

[TheShockmaster]

Liberty Media or the Khan family are the best options, IMO. I just cannot fathom the shitshow it would be for the PFL to absorb Bellator.

Tony Khan has already come out and confirmed that they have no interest in buying Bellator and haven't been in talks at all.

Ariel has a weird hate boner for the Khans and AEW through being a WWE fanboy. No idea why he has started making shit like this up.

 

[Koala]

I just don't understand how this would work.

What are they putting a price on each piece of the company and each fighter. So you want a champ or a top guy your pay us 1M for each, you want the media content you pay us 10M, you want corey anderson we'll take 500K. This just seems so far fetched to me and I'm not sure could even be done legally unless each individual fighter is willing to go where they say there wanted and agree to a new contract with that org..

Even when the UFC bought Pride they had to resign the fighters to the UFC since they were shutting down the actual PRIDE org. If they kept the PRIDE org running they probably could've of legally kept every fighter under their existing contracts.

If this goes down it would be the crazy thing ever in MMA.

It could be done like in European football where a team sells the rights to a contract to another team and the player has to agree with his new team on his fight purse. It makes zero sense if the fight promotion is going to disappear. The fighter just has to wait for the promotion to go under and negotiate with which promotions he wants

 

[David Street]

Gotta call BS. Two of the aforementioned companies are already bleeding cash hand over fist, with some of their roster fighters teasing potential jumps to Bellator.

Pretty soon you're going to have these "reliable sources" claiming that King of the Cage is in the running to purchase Bellator.

 

[Danespina]

MVP at a UFC event in the UK where he lives doesn't mean a thing.

Shining a spotlight on him during a live UFC broadcast, and calling him the sports hottest free agent… it means something. At the very least that they’re interested in him.

 

[David Street]

Shining a spotlight on him during a live UFC broadcast, and calling him the sports hottest free agent… it means something. At the very least that they’re interested in him.

You may have something there...

https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2023...-michael-page-bellator-awesome-striking-fight

Jonny Parsons wants Bellator free agent Michael Page after UFC London for an 'awesome striking fight'

But also said:“I’d really like to come back to London and try to sleep a little better the next time. I don’t think ‘MVP’ can hang with the wrestlers in this division, so I would love to give the fans here in London at The O2 an awesome striking fight. I think me and ‘MVP’ can put on a show for the crowd, for sure.”

 

[TheBrownRanger]

Shining a spotlight on him during a live UFC broadcast, and calling him the sports hottest free agent… it means something. At the very least that they’re interested in him.

Exactly. I don't recall this ever happening before besides maybe Kayla Harrison?

MVP vs Wonderboy
MVP vs Pereira
MVP vs RDA
MVP vs Magny
MVP vs Ponzinibbio

Lot of good fights we could see!

 

[careto]

Exactly. I don't recall this ever happening before besides maybe Kayla Harrison?

MVP vs Wonderboy
MVP vs Pereira
MVP vs RDA
MVP vs Magny
MVP vs Ponzinibbio

Lot of good fights we could see!

Add Luque, Neal, Garry, and Madallena. An Ian Garry vs MVP in Europe would be huge, IMO.

 

[David Street]

Tony Khan has already come out and confirmed that they have no interest in buying Bellator and haven't been in talks at all.

Ariel has a weird hate boner for the Khans and AEW through being a WWE fanboy. No idea why he has started making shit like this up.

And you believe? Remember Endeavor also said they were not buying WWE.

 

[GueseGuy]

Add Luque, Neal, Garry, and Madallena. An Ian Garry vs MVP in Europe would be huge, IMO.

I think it's a no brainer they sign him. He has everything they want:

Great fight style
Established fanbase/name
From an important market
Not too old, right at the end of his prime
In a stale division somewhat

If they can agree on a price, I think it's a done deal. Crazy to think Chandler and MVP got to UFC. Who would've thought 10 years ago when they were kids in Bellator we would be on this road?

 

[Stan]

Liberty Media or the Khan family are the best options, IMO. I just cannot fathom the shitshow it would be for the PFL to absorb Bellator.

Yeah if PFL gets Bellator its going to be over in a short period of time. PFL has been bleeding deep in the red for years this would only drive them further down and out of existence.

IDK whats everyones love for Tony Khan. AEW might've made a slight dent into the WWE market a couple years ago but since that time its become a shit show with maybe 1 good PPV per year. They continue to lose the big name stars to the WWE because they won't pay those stars what they are worth to the company. So no Tony Khan would do nothing for Bellator if he refuses to pay big fighters what they are worth.

So far Coker has done his best again to put together a bunch of fighters some that have entered the top ten and 1 that is todays #1 LHW worldwide. Along with that keeping most of his top 5 fighters in the Org happy with what they are getting paid instead of jumping ship and starting with lower pay in the UFC. Thats an accomplishment that can't be denied. If only VIACOM knew what they actually have if they would heavily promote the Org they would have a cash cow within 2 years. Even with 0 promotion Bellator is still making a profit this year. I'd rather see them bought out by RIZIN which combined would make them look like a modern day Pride FC Org.

 

[stratos86]

Perhaps ONE Championship can buy them.

 

[TheShockmaster]

And you believe? Remember Endeavor also said they were not buying WWE.

With how Ariel Helwani and the ESPN doofus Mike Coppinger are with their weird hate boner for AEW, yeah I do.

 

[skylolow]

Yeah if PFL gets Bellator its going to be over in a short period of time. PFL has been bleeding deep in the red for years this would only drive them further down and out of existence.

IDK whats everyones love for Tony Khan. AEW might've made a slight dent into the WWE market a couple years ago but since that time its become a shit show with maybe 1 good PPV per year. They continue to lose the big name stars to the WWE because they won't pay those stars what they are worth to the company. So no Tony Khan would do nothing for Bellator if he refuses to pay big fighters what they are worth.

So far Coker has done his best again to put together a bunch of fighters some that have entered the top ten and 1 that is todays #1 LHW worldwide. Along with that keeping most of his top 5 fighters in the Org happy with what they are getting paid instead of jumping ship and starting with lower pay in the UFC. Thats an accomplishment that can't be denied. If only VIACOM knew what they actually have if they would heavily promote the Org they would have a cash cow within 2 years. Even with 0 promotion Bellator is still making a profit this year. I'd rather see them bought out by RIZIN which combined would make them look like a modern day Pride FC Org.

All very true.

I think PFL is hoping that with both rosters, PPV series starting, few changes to the format(having events that isn't part of the tournament or PPV series), better fighters in general from around the world they can now hold shows in some countries with named guys and grow inroads into those areas(also helps them in this whole PFL Europe, Africa, BS they are trying to do) and expanding their fight library 10 fold by adding Bellator's content that all this might be worth a much more lucrative media deal.

Problem is can they find a US media partner willing to spend 50 to 100M a year as base to help support the product. Also having these other fighters from around the world maybe that helps with media deals in other countries. Some way they need to have a good 100M of revenue coming in yearly to even come close of being self sustainable. Otherwise like you said, as soon as investor money dries up it all goes away. Unfortunately, that is true for most of these orgs outside of the UFC.

 

[Terry_Dak_Tull]

 

[GueseGuy]

What a load of shit. They don't have any money. Another huge announcement like they made in Saudi Arabia too. This guy is a joke. He's using the Bellator rumors to try and drum up interest in his weak ass product.

 

[careto]

What a load of shit. They don't have any money. Another huge announcement like they made in Saudi Arabia too. This guy is a joke. He's using the Bellator rumors to try and drum up interest in his weak ass product.

IDK man, at this point I think anything is possible. The fact that there arent any rumors about other potential buyers makes me think that it is a possibility. They are bleeding money but if they secured a Qatari or Saudi investment then its possible they could buy Bellator. Its not what I would want but apparently there arent other rumored options.

In general, things outside the UFC look pretty grim.
- ONE has practically become a kickboxing/muay thai promotion with some MMA and sub grappling sprinkled.
- CBS wants to get rid of Bellator but apparently there arent any potential buyers.
- PFL did not renew their contract with ESPN and their viewership keeps tanking.

The UFC is the only promotion that is massively thriving.

 

[GueseGuy]

IDK man, at this point I think anything is possible. The fact that there arent any rumors about other potential buyers makes me think that it is a possibility. They are bleeding money but if they secured a Qatari or Saudi investment then its possible they could buy Bellator. Its not what I would want but apparently there arent other rumored options.

In general, things outside the UFC look pretty grim.
- ONE has practically become a kickboxing/muay thai promotion with some MMA and sub grappling sprinkled.
- CBS wants to get rid of Bellator but apparently there arent any potential buyers.
- PFL did not renew their contract with ESPN and their viewership keeps tanking.

The UFC is the only promotion that is massively thriving.

So the only solid word we've gotten from anybody that works within Paramount or Bellator is from Scott Coker last month. He said Paramount/Viacom is not going anywhere and they would like a partner. His exact words. He did confirm PFL were in the conversation. However, they would need $200m+ to buy Bellator outright. Who is going to bankroll this? They already confirmed they were done raising funds for the rest of the year. So if they confirmed this, how would they get the money? They have no TV deal, no solid income/cash flow. How will this come to fruition? I think PFL kicked the tires, and Coker did the right thing. He confirmed public interest from a potential buyer to stir up more interest and potentially raise market value in his product. To me, it will have to be a legit sports capital conglomerate. PFL doesn't have the funds and it doesn't make sense. Why would they buy a company that is a bigger and better brand than them and dissolve? Makes no sense especially considering they don't have any money.

And regarding your point about mma promotions, Bellator might be the only mma promotion not named UFC to ever have turned a profit. So this is nothing new. ONE and WSOF/PFL have been in the holes for years. Nothing has changed.

 

[SuspectChin]

What a load of shit. They don't have any money. Another huge announcement like they made in Saudi Arabia too. This guy is a joke. He's using the Bellator rumors to try and drum up interest in his weak ass product.

Indeed. He knows this. Since they've signed Jake and Francis (who won't be performing for the company for a whole year), there's been no momentum within the promotion outside of failed ESPN negotiations and his fighters pissing hot left to right.

What better way to drum up interest for your company than by concocting rumors about buying a competitor?

 

[Terry_Dak_Tull]

So the only solid word we've gotten from anybody that works within Paramount or Bellator is from Scott Coker last month. He said Paramount/Viacom is not going anywhere and they would like a partner. His exact words. He did confirm PFL were in the conversation. However, they would need $200m+ to buy Bellator outright. Who is going to bankroll this? They already confirmed they were done raising funds for the rest of the year. So if they confirmed this, how would they get the money? They have no TV deal, no solid income/cash flow. How will this come to fruition? I think PFL kicked the tires, and Coker did the right thing. He confirmed public interest from a potential buyer to stir up more interest and potentially raise market value in his product. To me, it will have to be a legit sports capital conglomerate. PFL doesn't have the funds and it doesn't make sense. Why would they buy a company that is a bigger and better brand than them and dissolve? Makes no sense especially considering they don't have any money.

And regarding your point about mma promotions, Bellator might be the only mma promotion not named UFC to ever have turned a profit. So this is nothing new. ONE and WSOF/PFL have been in the holes for years. Nothing has changed.

If Coker's word is the only one that's solid, than you should ignore the $200 million price tag, since that came from John Nash, who also said PFL is very much in play to buy them. If you are going to say that PFL "kicked the tires", you are going with what Ariel said. He's since said PFL is very much in play to buy them.

The reality is that Bellator as we know it is almost dead. When you are running only half the shows you did just two years ago, their looking for a partner is out of desperation. All these strikes in the entertainment world can be their only saving grace.

If there isn't a full sale, any partnership they get, they have to sell rights to other networks. They can't stay on Showtime. Last week their primetime average viewership on cable was 28k.

 

[Bubba32]

IDK man, at this point I think anything is possible. The fact that there arent any rumors about other potential buyers makes me think that it is a possibility. They are bleeding money but if they secured a Qatari or Saudi investment then its possible they could buy Bellator. Its not what I would want but apparently there arent other rumored options.

In general, things outside the UFC look pretty grim.
- ONE has practically become a kickboxing/muay thai promotion with some MMA and sub grappling sprinkled.
- CBS wants to get rid of Bellator but apparently there arent any potential buyers.
- PFL did not renew their contract with ESPN and their viewership keeps tanking.

The UFC is the only promotion that is massively thriving.

Combate Global is getting a million plus viewers on a niche spanish language network. Nobody else is coming close to what COMBATE is doing.