Disappointing.
Bellator are in trouble. They are cutting costs, are drawing record low ratings, face battling to prove they fit into the new-look Paramount Network, and almost four years into the Scott Coker era still haven’t produced a single indiginous star name. They are wholly reliant on UFC cast offs, whether old men who are years past their prime or a couple of fighters who are excellent but not quite the best.
Given the UFC’s lack of direction in 2017, last year was the time for Bellator to really step it up and develop a sense of identity. Instead they were even more anaemic than the UFC. I was pulling for them. This is really disappointing.
It’s time to accept that Coker has not been able to replicate Strikeforce in Bellator, and realistically is never going to be able to.
If I was Viacom I would be looking to get rid of Bellator.