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By Alvin Benjamin Carter III, MMA Torch Specialist
Bellator Fighting Championships, now known as Bellator MMA, is the brainchild of Chairmen/CEO Bjorn Rebney. A fight promotion that was once seen as "the little engine that could" by some in the industry makes its live Spike TV debut on Thursday, January 17, 2013.
In 2008, roughly a year after the demise of the Japanese promotion Pride in March of 2007, Bellator looked to fill a void that was left in mixed martial arts - the tournament format. Unlike its competitors, Bellator's focus was not on the occasional Grand Prix event or matchmaking. The company focused on tournaments that played out naturally; allowing each fighters to control their own destiny to a degree.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship and Strikeforce were the two major mixed martial arts promotions when Bellator started out. Since Bellator's first event on April 3, 2009, the company has had 82 events and has outlasted its former competitor in Strikeforce. Ironically, Strikeforce's last major splash of excitement (excluding the final Showtime broadcast) was in fact a Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament that saw Daniel Cormier win the tournament and rise to an elite level. The same tournament also saw Fedor Emelianenko lose in the quarterfinals.
Tournaments do not protect star athletes the way clever matchmaking and strategic management can. Only one of the eight athletes in a Bellator tournament will earn a $100,000 paycheck and the chance to fight for the title. Turning down a fight means leaving the tournament and giving up the potential of being well known in the MMA world in relatively short order. Bellator has seasons that last about three months and each one has had moments that solidified Bellator's place in mixed martial arts. Now that Season 8 is on the horizon, lets take a look back at five important milestones in Bellator MMA history.
Milestone #1 - The Crowning of Bellator's First Champions
Season One was exciting to say the least. The tournaments played out and the winners were crowned Champions of their weight division (From this point on future tournament winners earned a shot at the title holder). Hector Lombard blasted through the middleweight division, Lyman Good took control of the welterweight division, Eddie Alvarez beat Toby Imada in an exciting tournament final to become the lightweight king, and Joe Soto took the featherweight strap. Having champions made the new promotion legitimate in the eyes of fans, and having a star in Alvarez helped the promotion gain name recognition.
Milestone #2 - Season II and Fox Sports Net
The fact that Bellator had a second season is a milestone in and of itself. The mixed martial arts industry is difficult, but Bjorn Rebney and crew navigated the waters well, and a second round of tournament winners entered the championship mix. The fight cards were broadcast on Fox Sports Net, bringing Bellator to homes across the United States. Prior to this Bellator was on ESPN Deportes.
This season saw the rise of current champions Ben Askren and Pat Curran and former champion Joe Warren. Ben Askren is arguably one of the best wrestlers in the sport and it is a feather in the promotion's cap to have him as a dominant champion. Pat Curran, who defends his Featherweight title against Rick Hawn at Bellator Season 8's opener, won the Lightweight tournament in Season two and the Featherweight tournament in a during the 2011 Summer Series. Curran lost his to Alvarez, but he defeated Joe Warren to take the Featherweight strap. A new lot of stars was solidified.
Milestone # 3 - The Partnership with MTV2
With Bully Beatdown paving the way for mixed martial arts on MTV, Bellator upped the anty for the network and the mixed martial arts world by bringing fights to viewers that might not have sought out the sport. At this time the UFC was still airing on Spike when not on pay-per-view, and Strikeforce was on Showtime. Bellator used MTV2 to showcase quality product on a relatively mainstream outlet. This separated the promotion from the other non Zuffa or Strikeforce promotions that aired on what was then HDNET (now AXSTV).
Milestone # 4 - Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler
Eddie Alvarez is arguably one of the best Lightweights in the world, and he had been Bellator's first and only Lightweight Champion until November 19, 2011 when he lost to Michael Chandler in a four round war. Chandler won with a rear naked choke 3:06 into the first championship round. This bout was nominated for “Fight of the Year” at the 2012 MMA Awards. The fight propelled Chandler into the limelight and and it left Alvarez with two fights before free agency that could potentially place him in the UFC.
Milestone # 5 - Moving to Spike TV
Spike TV became known as one of the homes for mixed martial arts during its partnership with the UFC. Bellator MMA inked a deal with Spike TV that will bring MMA back to the network and place Bellator's product in front of not only a large audience, but the right audience. This is a turning point for the promotion. It is treading on ground that the UFC once did, but it is making its live event home on Spike TV. This will also draw fighters that might not want to compete in the UFC like Rampage Jackson. While Jackson might not be a complete fit for the promotion outside of a non tournament one-off, you never know. Who thought King Mo Lawal would be fighting in Bellator and on TNA Impact Wrestling? Seeing how the relationship with Spike grows will be interesting, and will most likely lead to more Bellator athletes becoming household names in the MMA world.
Bellator MMA has come a long way in a short amount of time. Season 8 is the culmination of strategic planning and excellent action. The live experience delivers and the television production has advanced with each new broadcasting deal they have made. Bjorn Rebney has been a vocal Chairman and CEO providing a face for the establishment that is accessible and recognizable to the MMA media. There are sure to be more milestones in the continued growth of the promotion. If the Spike TV deal holds hopefully these milestones will be in athlete signings or award worthy fights with exciting finishes.
Follow Alvin on Twitter @awwwsnap.
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