After much speculations and rumours, it appears that Bellator MMA is finally going to be sold to the PFL.
One of the most famous names among the MMA promotions, Bellator has found itself in troubling waters for quite some time. The company, founded in 2008 and currently led by Scott Cocker, has had a troublesome 2023, with rumours of a potential sale to the PFL being discussed throughout this year.
It was Todd Atkins who first reported about the potential takeover back in summer, and on top of that, Viacom also confirmed their plans to drop combat sports from Showtime, leaving Bellator in a sticky wicket.
The top dog among the promoters, the UFC, who had purchased Strikeforce back in 2011, showed zero interest in getting Bellator under their umbrella. The UFC prez Dana White even questioned the notion of buying a compnay like Bellator, although he later acknowledged the importance of Bellator, or any promotion and even PFL for the matter, to remain in the fight game and continue.
“If Bellator continues to exist, it’s not a bad thing, it’s a good thing. If you look at all the s*** we take about a lot of things, they’re owned by f***ing Viacom. You know how much money these guys have? Why would they be going out of business unless they’re just tired of doing it. You’re hearing rumors about Showtime, too, not just Bellator,” said White earlier this month.
All while discussions were going on, no concrete lead on whether the deal would actually happen or not, until Al Zullino took to X.com to reveal that PFL now officially “owns” Bellator. According to Zullino’s report, PFL will run Bellator until 2026.
“PFL owns Bellator, now, I’m told. They’re taking over from 2024. As I’ve already reported, the plan is to run the Bellator brand for the next two years,” Zullino wrote.
PFL owns Bellator, now, I'm told. They're taking over from 2024.
As I've already reported, the plan is to run the Bellator brand for the next two years.
— Al Zullino (@phre) October 30, 2023
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