Bellator used to have the exact opposite philosophy, though. Building up lesser-known in-house guys and focusing on putting on good match-ups. They were a very respectable (if small-fish, and not quite big or deep-pocketed enough to be considered a real "competitor") alternative to UFC for a while there. In one fell swoop they have completely sold out and undermined the brand they had developed over 148 shows..
I liked Bellator under Rebney and the tourney format and I like it today aswell. And it is the second promotion behind UFC. Coker is just doing these freak shows inbetween good shows. Remember Dynamite?That was class yet the ratings weren't what they expected.Bet you 149 will have better ratings. Besides fans are very switchy as history has shown,what do you really think nobody is gonna watch Bellator because of this?C'mon. Phil Davis is a good quality siging,Bendo the same,Thomson is still good,Kharitonov the same,they just got a ***y kickboxer russian girl Yankova,etc. Bellator is there to stay.
I didn't even realize Coker had taken over. He doesn't exactly have a strong track record of keeping things afloat, with EliteXC and Strikeforce... Guess that answers my question. A change of management would explain it.
It's almost like he's trying to sink it... There are have been conspiracy theories floating around boards that he's a Zuffa shill. I'm not sure I buy that, but he's definitely not doing great things for the brand......
That would be downright insidious. Sort of like how Vince got his fingers in the ECW pie with his silent partner investments shortly before he gobbled up his two biggest competitors..
I'm sure when Thomson vs Chandler and Mo vs Davis creeps up people won't be mentioning Bellator 149. Those two fights are HOT.
People complaining that Royce vs Shamrock and Kimbo vs Dada fights sucked are ridiculous. What exactly did you expect from these two fights? They went down just like expected. And Bellator did the right thing putting on freakshow fights to boost the ratings and get the name out there. Any promotion is good promotion and people talk about Bellator now, the name is out there. Bellator did this for the same reason Pride/Rizin had Bob Sapp, Akebono and some pro wrestlers like Takada and for the same reason UFC signed and hyped Ronda, Paige, Sage, Kimbo, CM Punk etc. To get more promotion, more casual fans' interest and more money. It's funny how people act as if MMA is some legit sport where they should only put on the best available ultra-professional fighters in their prime. MMA started as a freakshow, the first UFC fight was a sumo wrestler versus some French kickboxer. UFC openly supports certain fighters who're more marketable than others and gives them free title shots and rematches, they also cut "boring" contenders after first loss even though they're legit fighters like Fitch, Shields... It has nothing to do with sport, it's just entertainment. Yet somehow a fight with two legit fighters who're 10 years past it puts bad light on Bellator while Ronda fighting an accountant is a major event for the sport...
Last time I checked fighters don't fight for free. SO yea, they are going to push the fighters people want to see. This is true with any PROFESSIONAL sports. Being the best doesn't mean a damn thing if no one wants to pay to see you. Also putting on freak show, what last night was, will lose more viewer then the short term gain. Kimbo slice has no business in MMA let alone co-main event a fight card.
:good ...and Ken's own days as headliner should have been considered to have a fork stuck in them when he managed to get stopped by the aforesaid Kimbo.
Ken got buzzed from the knee to the chin, not the groin, but he tried selling it to save some dignity I guess. The fight was an abomination just like the last decade of Shammy's career. Truth be told he should have retired after the Don Frye fight or even the first Tito fight. He hasn't been a serious fighter since then.