CAN BELLATOR MMA SURPASS THE UFC AS THE #1 MMA FIGHTING ORGANIZATION?

Being a fan of the UFC since the inaugural tournament 25 years ago, I have seen many organization try to mimic the business blue print laid out by the previous UFC owners the Fertitta brothers and Dana White. You have to give these guys where credit is due. They brought a dying company from the brink of bankruptcy and turned it into a multi billion dollar entity. To be honest, it's too bad they sold it, as we are now seeing the direction of the company changing before our eyes.

Does anyone here remember any of these state side companies like Elite XC? How about Affliction? Does Strikeforce ring a bell? In the past 10 years these were the main 3 organizations that made an attempt at taking over the UFC as the #1 fighting organization in the USA.

One by one they all ceased operations as they burned through cash trying to keep up with the Juggernaut that is the UFC. However, Strikeforce was actually bought out by the UFC as Strikeforce's parent company wanted to go in another direction.

As UFC current president, Dana White once put it, "these guys don't know how to run a fighting organization". There were no details as to what he really meant, but from my stand point, one should never throw money at a product when it is not proven to be profitable. Risk and rewards were theorized and eventually, all those that tried will fail to follow in the steps of the brand that is the UFC.

It took years, almost a decade for the UFC to finally turn a profit. Does any here remember the first season of the Ultimate Fighter? That is where things turned around for the company. Ratings, awareness, and the drama that unfolded to million of viewers weekly, made the UFC brand a household name.

Bellator FC entered the scene in the late 2000s. After several years of struggling with tournament style events, former Strikeforce president Scott Coker was brought in to lead the company. Backed by a billion dollar entity, Viacom, they set out to compete for MMA viewership.

Currently, Bellator President Scott Coker was given the "green light" to acquire marquee names in the free agent market. Several disgruntled fighters from the UFC did jump ship and signed with Bellator in hopes of finding greener pastures, bigger paydays, sponsorship deals, and for once, being treated with respect. If your name wasn't Conner Mcgregor, there was no chance the Dana White, was going to give you a pass at anything as he publicly ridicules fighters that rub him the wrong way.

I think it was Matt Mitrione, a former UFC fighter that now fights for Bellator once said, that the difference between the UFC and Bellator is the people that work in the back office and behind the scenes. UFC had years to figure out who they need behind the scenes making sure things worked out smoothly. Mitrione said, that Bellator is not at that stage yet. Now, there is no instruction manual on how to run a fighting organization, so this is expected in uncharted territory. In time Bellator will find their footing and figure out what needs to be done to run a top notch organization.

*6 of the 8 fighters in the heavyweight tournament are former UFC fighters.

My final analysis is this........Bellator has the financial backing from Viacom to pull off great shows. They have a experienced president running the organization (Scott Coker) who respects the fighters. All fighters have the ability to seek out sponsorship deals that the UFC forbids their fighters to have. These sponsorship deals are worth millions as Nike, Under Armour, Gatorade, and now crypt currencies are vying for fighter endorsements. That alone entices free agents to sign with Bellator. Who doesn't like to get paid a cool million dollars for wearing your brand?

So what does Bellator lack? How can they compete and surpass the UFC? I believe that Bellator needs a better promotional team. I keep up with both organizations. But I don't really know the roster of fighters that Bellator has. Their promotional team needs to find drama in their mist, or some kind of angle to invoke emotions in the public eye and perception. The UFC broke out with the Ultimate Fighter. They intrigued everyone with a bunch of emotional fighters, and the public loved it. Bellator needs to find a promotional angle to promote the brand and fighters. Emotions, controversy, and persona will boost Bellators brand. They need star power, or at least give the perception that they have a star ready to be born.

So what say you my steemit familia? Can Bellator surpass the Ultimate Fighting Championships to become the #1 fighting organization?

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