REPORT | Bellator sale to PFL has been finalized, will take over the company in 2024
It seems that the PFL’s sale with Bellator might be going through after all.
As most MMA fans are aware, the Scott Coker-led company has had its troubles in 2023. For most of this year, Bellator has been linked to a potential sale to the PFL. The news was first reported by Todd Atkins earlier this summer. For the most part, the million-dollar deal has been played out in public, as Viacom confirmed their plans to drop combat sports from Showtime.
With that in mind, Bellator badly needed a home, and the UFC clearly had no interest. Earlier this year, Dana White even questioned why the PFL, or frankly anyone, would buy the company. However, the promoter later admitted that it would be bad for the sport itself if they went under.
Still, progress has slowed on the potential deal, until today. Earlier today on X, Al Zullino stated that the deal has been completed and that PFL officially now owns Bellator. Starting in 2024, they will begin to control the entire promotion and will run the two as separate entities until 2026.
While not explicitly stated in the report itself, PFL will likely run Bellator until 2026 separately due to previous agreements. Whenever the UFC bought out Strikeforce in early 2011, they kept the company around for a few years. That decision was made mainly due to contractual reasons.
That is likely what will happen here, as well. While there’s no confirmation from either company regarding a sale as of now, the news would be far from shocking. Heavyweight champion Ryan Bader revealed earlier this month that Viacom was even refusing to pay for short-notice opponents for Bellator 300.
What do you make of this MMA news? Are you excited for Bellator and the PFL’s future following this reported sale?
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Bellator Professional Fighters League (PFL)
