Joe Rogan says he’d be happy if Bellator can become a full blown rival to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
It’s a unique stance as Rogan has been a longtime color commentator for the UFC. Many consider Bellator to be the number two mixed martial arts promotion in the world. Other promotion such as the Professional Fighters League and Combate Americas have been making waves but none have the financial backing that Viacom is able to provide for Bellator. In recent years we’ve seen fighters such as Gegard Mousasi and Rory MacDonald test the free agency market and jump to the Bellator banner.
Joe Rogan ‘Would Love it’ if Bellator Rivaled UFC
While workers who are loyal to their company may shy away from the topic of competition, Rogan faces it head on. During a recent edition of his JRE MMA Show, Rogan said it would be welcoming if Bellator could rival the UFC as much as PRIDE FC did (via MMAJunkie.com):
“I like it. I like that the fighters are having a good time over there. They get paid well. I want it to grow. I want it to be right up there with the UFC. I would love it if it was a full rival like PRIDE was.”
Bellator has many stars in MMA such as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Fedor Emelianenko, Chael Sonnen, Wanderlei Silva, and more. Some of their champions and homegrown fighters haven’t exactly reached that level of notoriety despite their accomplishments. Michael Chandler is perhaps the most well-known homegrown Bellator fighter and even he’s taken a backseat to more popular stars.
Recently, Bellator has taken a hit in television ratings thanks to a rough transition from Spike TV to the Paramount Network. Still, Bellator recently scored a massive deal with sports streaming provider DAZN to have all their events air live.
Do you think Bellator can rival the UFC?
