Bellator General Discussion and Info

[Bernman]

Ratings not looking good for this past event. Shame, really. Great card on paper and delivered in the cage.

Yeah, just came to deliver the same message. It's hard to fathom really. They've been simulcasting on multiple channels and platforms, which have suppressed their ratings this season, but relative to other events this was near their worst. I know a lot of people DVR'ed it and watched, but that's the tendency for all their events.

This result might change their stance on re-signing Eddie. This is the 2nd event which bombed in the ratings with him headlining. The first was Alvarez-Curran, which drew 139K viewers IIRC.

For the sake of their ratings and revenue in general the move to Spike can't come soon enough.

[REDDzone]

Everyone knows I love bellator, but just watched the "superfight" last night and it just kind of depressed me.

[Bernman]

It is what is. It was hollow for me too, but when those "super fights" are scheduled, everyone knows the goals of them. They are meant to keep champions of an organization with a strict tourney format busy and not be a serious threat to them discrediting the title. This should be the last super fight Chandler will have to participate in. He'll have Hawn next, then the season 7 winner. Every season should contain a LW tourney from now on with the depth they've amassed and more TV time. If there are serious injuries which still cause a super fight to be necessary, maybe that's when they finally realize the tourney system by itself isn't sufficient enough to provide challengers. I'm an advocate of giving select recent champions/tourney winners a rematch because they've already proven themselves in the organization, and champions from other select organizations (i.e.: OneFC) as well because they've already proven themselves there.

And I imagine you were already depressed coming into that fight because Killa B lost. Bellator would be remiss not to keep him around. He's entertaining, still young, and has shown improvement recently. Now he's just found out 1-2 more areas of his game he needs to work on. His guard is sick, but the best wrestlers are super tough to sub from the bottom, so he should work more on staying on his feet and sweeping instead. Plus, as good of a striker as he is, at a distance he is lacking.

[REDDzone]

I understand the concept of the superfight, but do they really have to choose 37 year olds on losing streaks for them? That's my issue.

As for Killa B, the fight was a coin flip for me going in. Was hoping he would be able to finish, oh well.

[cowboyronnie]

Don't they have Howard Davis as their boxing coach in Coconut Creek? Saunders' boxing was lacking. Static upperbody, poor leverage. You can't win with strict muay Thai.

As the commentator said, he had that triangle but tried to get fancy and go for the double submission, and lost it. Baker was done.

[Cammo101]

I understand the concept of the superfight, but do they really have to choose 37 year olds on losing streaks for them? That's my issue.

The term superfight is laughable. Rebney seems to go out and find the least dangerous fighter with any kind of name value and throw them in with the champ and call it a superfight.

[Cammo101]

Eddie Alvarez was sitting right next to Dana White at the fights tonight on Fox. That can't bode well for him staying in Bellator.

My guess is Dana wants to put him in against El Nino in Strikeforce.

[REDDzone]

My guess is Dana wants to put him in against El Nino in Strikeforce.

Does the Strikeforce contract run out at the end of 2012? If so, I could see them being happy with Gil getting one more fight though, then folding up that failing shop.

[Bernman]

Eddie's contract runs until November or so. Whether BFC will match or not depends on if they view him as a loss leader or foresee a huge jump in profitability a couple months later when they move to Spike. They wouldn't match on the basis of what he's worth to a company as a headliner alone. When he main evented a card without Lombard, ratings bombed the last two times.

If Zuffa does come away with him, I think the timing could be right for an SF finale against Gil, winner gets a title shot in UFC. But Eddie might need to win another quality win in BFC to start that high on the ladder in Zuffa. I think Narantunglag and Freire appear to be the best options.

[REDDzone]

I thought the contract expired in August. If it really goes until November that could change things. I mean after the contract expires we'd still have a period of negotiations with ufc, then going back to bellator, etc. If that were the case I'd be surprised if we see Alvarez fight again in 2012, which would (if the sf deal ends at the end of 2012) make that fight impossible in strikeforce.

If it does end in August or so though, we could see it.

[Bernman]

I think that period includes restricted FA. That would be the source for confusion. Eddie himself stated he had 8-9 months left back in mid February when Bas circulated the bogus rumor that Eddie was scheduled to face Barboza.

[REDDzone]

I see. All I know is that Monday after his last fight (Apr 20th), both he and Bjorn came in and said his contract was up after 1) one more fight, OR 2) 4 months. No idea how their weird RFA period works.

[cowboyronnie]

Eddie Alvarez was sitting right next to Dana White at the fights tonight on Fox. That can't bode well for him staying in Bellator.

My guess is Dana wants to put him in against El Nino in Strikeforce.

Interesting. But we knew he wanted a serious pay raise. That he'd be seen out with the UFC isn't really a surprise during negotiations.

[SDM]

King Mo going to Bellator... and TNA Wrestling.

http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Former ... ling-42571

[Bernman]

King Mo signed with Bellator/TNA.

His suspension ends right before Bellator debuts on Spike. Hopefully in the meantime they can build up their LHW division. Right now it's seriously lacking competition for him. Their only guy with hope remaining to be a contender is Phelipe Lins. They could really use a couple guys like Mousasi, Manuwa, and Arona. Maybe they sign Rampage after his contract is up with Zuffa. There are irreconcilable differences in that marriage and I think Rampage at this point would prefer to be more of an entertainer than mixed martial artist, so that's where TNA comes in.

[REDDzone]

Kind of surprised for two reasons: 1) Dana came out and said that he admired King Mo apologizing to Lundvall. Saying that was what a man would do or something similar. Usually that means that Mo would be welcome back in the fold. 2) Bellator's lhw division has nothing for King Mo. I don't like the guy, but he is really really talented. Olympian wrestler with heavy hands.

[Bernman]

Kind of surprised for two reasons: 1) Dana came out and said that he admired King Mo apologizing to Lundvall. Saying that was what a man would do or something similar. Usually that means that Mo would be welcome back in the fold. 2) Bellator's lhw division has nothing for King Mo. I don't like the guy, but he is really really talented. Olympian wrestler with heavy hands.

1) Supposedly Dana let the cat out of the bag after UFC 145 when he expressly stated King Mo was going to Bellator but nobody took him seriously. I think Dana wanted him, but the lure of working in professional wrestling before his suspension was up proved too attractive.

2) There is still about 7-8 months until he can fight, so a lot can happen between now and then. Manuwa has rejected Zuffa multiple times and I know he has a fondness for Bellator. Like I said, Rampage could end up a rival to King Mo in both BFC and TNA. I don't think Mousasi is contracted with Zuffa but rather Dream (although I could be wrong), and he does have unfinished business with Mo. And maybe Phelipe Lins proves himself between now and then. He was the Bloody Elbow #2 ranked LHW prospect.

[Gold Chain]

Not a fan of this.

Mo goes to pro wrestling and then comes back to the real world, and expects everyone to welcome him back with open arms?

I think I have watched 30 seconds total of TNA wrestling in my life, and I must say, even for modern pro wrestling, it's bottom of the barrel.

[REDDzone]

I hate the pro wrestling crossover, personally. Really hope Rebney's implication this week that this was just the beginning of that wasn't true.

[REDDzone]

Anyway, picks for tonight's card?