Bellator

Where is the buzz for Bellator Fighting Championship? When a MMA promotion to lands a deal with the worldwide leader in sports you assume the fans and the media would take notice. With 5 events under their belt the ESPN Deportes partnered BFC is still flying under the radar.

From top to bottom Bellator’s 32 man roster is a mix of veterans and prospects. In each of the 4 tournament weight classes from 145-185 their exists one heavy favorite. Wilson Reis, Eddie Alvarez, Lyman Good and Hector Lombard are stars BFC can build upon.

Is it the weekly fight cards that are preventing the promotion from getting any sustained momentum? Bellator was built with TV in mind. 24 hour tape delayed shows air every Saturday night during the 12 week season. Knowing ESPN I’m sure plenty of reruns will follow. Reports have been that during live events arenas have been half empty. I feel like Bellator is rushing everything for the sake of TV.

TV ratings have been positive, but hard to come by. MMA media outlets are not rushing to report them like they do weekly for the UFC’s “The Ultimate Fighter” on Spike. Bellator’s tournament style and in house coverage has positioned itself more towards the sporting aspect of MMA as opposed to the spectacle side of “cage fighting”. Media coverage could be classified as modest thus far. The full Bellator PR blitz is nowhere to be found.

Like the IFL and Elite XC before them BFC officials say their long term goals for the company is to put together a pay per view that people will go out a purchase. For some reason this seems to be the tried and true business model for all upcoming MMA promotions, the same one that has only been successful for the 800 pound PPV gorilla that is the UFC.

Also of note is the date for the BFC tournament finals; June 12^th and 19^th. UFC 99 is scheduled for 13th and then the season finale of The Ultimate Fighter season 9 is set for the following weekend. The potential for Bellator’s end of season events to be overshadowed is a likely scenario.

The potential for success is in place for Bellator FC, but if you succeed and nobody notices it, have you truly arrived?