Tag: Bellator

Bellator Champ Calls For Francis Ngannou’s Intervention As Gripes With PFL Continue: ‘Will You Ever Speak Up For Us?’

The mounting discontent among Bellator fighters signed under the PFL banner has reached a fever pitch, prompting a reigning champion to call on Francis Ngannou to step in. The PFL finalized its takeover of Bellator MMA in November 2023, allowing it to operate as a distinct entity and enabling its roster of fighters to transition […]

The mounting discontent among Bellator fighters signed under the PFL banner has reached a fever pitch, prompting a reigning champion to call on Francis Ngannou to step in.

The PFL finalized its takeover of Bellator MMA in November 2023, allowing it to operate as a distinct entity and enabling its roster of fighters to transition seamlessly under the PFL spotlight.

After a difficult first year post-acquisition, it was reported by Ariel Helwani this week that the Bellator name has officially been consigned to history. It will now be rebranded as the PFL Champions Series, a platform dedicated exclusively to title bouts for the PFL’s newly established divisional championships.

Amid recent developments, a cloud of uncertainty has settled over several Bellator champions, including Patricio Pitbull and Corey Anderson. Both have been vocal critics of the PFL for some time, accusing the budding MMA promotion of failing to uphold the terms of their original contracts while taking pointed jabs at its management.

Pitbull has persistently called out top-tier PFL executives, including Donn Davis and Peter Murray, on social media, demanding his release from the promotion. He points to the alleged lack of clarity regarding his fighting future and the scarce opportunities offered to him since the merger.

The reigning Bellator featherweight champion recently took to X, once again venting his frustration with the organization amid the ongoing turmoil. In a series of fiery posts, Pitbull accused the PFL of ruthlessly cutting fighters from its roster and “forcing” others into accepting massive pay cuts.

He further claimed that the organization is manipulating contracts, making it nearly impossible for fighters to become free agents and pursue opportunities elsewhere.

“Self called co-leader in MMA and fighters first organization is cutting a bunch of fighters and forcing others to take pay cuts of up to 70%. No respect for fighter contracts and what they’ve accomplished,” Pitbull wrote on X.

The 37-year-old Brazilian went a step further, calling on the PFL’s biggest star and reigning Super Fights Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou to use his influence to address the ongoing issues and stand in solidarity with those caught in the crossfire.

“Hey Francis Ngannou are you aware of all the absurd things PFL is doing to fighters and putting on the new contracts? Will you ever speak up for us? I’m thinking it’s time we start a PFL Fighters Union. What do you think?”

Pitbull has been absent from the cage since March 2024, when he defended his featherweight title with a stunning third-round knockout of Jeremy Kennedy at the Bellator Champions Series in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Bellator Champion On Being Blindsided By PFL Scrapping The Brand: ‘Still Haven’t Heard A Thing’

It isn’t currently known what will happen to the current Bellator champions after Ariel Helwani stated that the promotion is “dead” from here on out. The Bellator Champions Series, which was established by the PFL in 2024, suffered from some major issues which as a result, has led some of the top fighters on the […]

It isn’t currently known what will happen to the current Bellator champions after Ariel Helwani stated that the promotion is “dead” from here on out. The Bellator Champions Series, which was established by the PFL in 2024, suffered from some major issues which as a result, has led some of the top fighters on the roster voicing their criticisms of the way that they have been treated since their contracts were acquired by the PFL in 2023.

These events are set to be replaced by the PFL Champions Series which will introduce new PFL titles instead of having the belts up for grabs in the regular season format as has been the case in previous years. It now appears that the final fight that still has the Bellator name attached to it will be on January 25 where Usman Nurmagomedov defends the Bellator lightweight title against Paul Hughes in Dubai.

One of the current champions of the promotion that is set to be fazed out of the PFL brand spoke out on social media following this news. Corey Anderson claimed that rather than being contacted by someone from the PFL, he found out that the brand which he is the light heavyweight champion of will cease to exist via his wife.

“Imagine being the champion of an organization chilling on the couch and your wife walks in and tells you “did you see this? Bellator is dead now?”… and all you can do is shrug your shoulders in confusion…. CUZ you still haven’t heard a thing. Lol Yeaaaah, that was me.”

Anderson has been particularly vocal in recent times due to the booking and subsequent cancelation of his matchup with Vadim Nemkov which was booked for the first “Road to Dubai” event on January 25. Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen also took to social media to raise the question of what this news means for his current status.

PFL ‘In A Good Spot’ Financially Despite 2024 Struggles, Fighter Complaints

The PFL has undergone some major changes before the promotion hosts its first event of 2025. 2024 brought to light some big issues and criticism for the promotion which they are now looking to address for the year ahead. On Monday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, it was announced that the Bellator brand is […]

The PFL has undergone some major changes before the promotion hosts its first event of 2025. 2024 brought to light some big issues and criticism for the promotion which they are now looking to address for the year ahead.

On Monday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, it was announced that the Bellator brand is officially “dead”. There was a lot of scepticism regarding the PFL’s plans to integrate Bellator in order to have both names co-exist under one roof after the promotion was acquired towards the end of 2023.

Having the PFL’s season format continue alongside the Bellator Champions Series has created confusion for the fans and frustration for the fighters who aren’t being as active as they would like. PFL is looking to change this by removing the season-based format in place of a Grand Prix style tournament and by removing the Bellator brand entirely by integrating it all into a revised PFL system.

One of the first adjustments that was reported which pointed to the promotion heading in a new direction was the news that starting in 2025, the prize money for the winner of the tournaments would drop from $1 million to $500,000. Many assumed that this is because handing out six $1 million dollar cheques isn’t financially viable for the promotion anymore.

However, following the reports that the new tournament will consist of just eight competitors and that they will be more focused on up-and-coming talents rather than it being the ultimate end goal for fighters in the promotion (with PFL divisional titles set to be introduced), the drop in prize money makes sense. Ariel Helwani also stated during his update on the future of the promotion that cutting costs isn’t a major priority for the PFL based on what he has heard about their financial situation.

“When this first came out about the $1 million to 500,000, it felt like ‘Oh, this is a sign that they’re dead’. Now, I’m being told that like as far as finances are concerned, they’re in a good spot. They have great, sold investment, all that stuff and more. They’re not hurting for cash, this is just kind of a restructuring of how the promotion is laid out. I actually think it makes a ton more sense.”

Elimination Of The Bellator Brand Among Host Of Changes Confirmed For The PFL In 2025

The Bellator brand has now been completely amalgamated into the PFL, marking the cohesive integration of the two MMA organizations. In November 2023, following months of swirling rumors, the PFL officially took over Bellator MMA in a groundbreaking agreement. Although the finer details of the merger remained under wraps, it was revealed that Paramount, Bellator’s […]

The Bellator brand has now been completely amalgamated into the PFL, marking the cohesive integration of the two MMA organizations.

In November 2023, following months of swirling rumors, the PFL officially took over Bellator MMA in a groundbreaking agreement. Although the finer details of the merger remained under wraps, it was revealed that Paramount, Bellator’s former parent company, retained a minority ownership stake.

Despite the transition, the Bellator brand continued as a distinct and “reimagined” product, with its roster of fighters immediately eligible to compete under the PFL banner.

However, during a recent episode of his show, Ariel Helwani reported that the Bellator brand has been formally discontinued. Going forward, it will be rebranded as the PFL Champions Series, a new venture focused on hosting title bouts for PFL’s new divisional championships.

“Right now I can tell you, on Monday, January 13th, at 1:20 P.M. Eastern time: Bellator is dead,” Helwani said. “Bellator as we know it is no more. Bellator is dead. You will not see Bellator events anymore.”

Helwani further disclosed that the new title structure will stand apart from PFL’s established season tournament format, where six divisional champions are crowned after a series of four bouts within a single calendar year.

Additionally, the veteran reporter revealed that the upcoming Road to Dubai: Champions Series card on Jan. 25 in Dubai will feature the final Bellator title fight. In the main event, reigning lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov will put his title his title on the line against Paul Hughes.

As of now, it’s unclear how the new PFL titleholders will be crowned, and whether they will simply be the current Bellator champs.

“If you look at that event on Jan. the 25th, you will see that other than the picture of the belt and other than, you know, in the press release it says Bellator lightweight title, there’s no other mention of Bellator. Bellator as we know it is dead. From the Bjorn [Rebney] era to the Scott Coker era to the PFLator era, it is no more.”

Last week, MMA journalist Al Zullino broke the news that the PFL’s iconic $1 million prize for seasonal tournament champions will be halved to $500,000, beginning with the 2025 season set to kick off in April.

Furthermore, the organization is expected to scrap its signature tournament point system in favor of adopting a more classic grand prix-style MMA format. That news that was also corroborated by Helwani, alongside confirmation that tournament winners will no longer win a championship belt.

Manager Recalls Scary Weight Cut That Put Bellator Fighter Into A Coma: ‘If They Had Not Acted That Fast…’

Daiane Silva was put into a medically induced coma this past September after suffering from kidney failure during a difficult weight cut. The Brazilian was set to make her Bellator debut on short notice in London, England which would have seen her compete at featherweight for the first time in her career. It was a […]

Daiane Silva was put into a medically induced coma this past September after suffering from kidney failure during a difficult weight cut. The Brazilian was set to make her Bellator debut on short notice in London, England which would have seen her compete at featherweight for the first time in her career.

It was a long time before this news was made public with many questioning why there wasn’t any health updates coming from the PFL at this time. Donn Davis stated when talking publicly about it for the first time that the promotion made the decision to not put out any statements regarding Silva’s current state out of respect for her family who wanted privacy.

This was recently backed up by Silva’s manager, Alex Davis, who spoke in a recent interview with MMA Fighting about the initial reaction to the situation and how the staff at the promotion worked quickly and effectively to support their fighter.

“It’s very scary,” Davis said. “Daiane and her family all through the process, they didn’t want anything divulged in the media.

“I’m just going to as far as I can go on the medical side — as soon as it happens, Bellator did a very good job. They found out they had a problem, they got a doctor on it. When the doctor saw how serious it was, they got her to the ambulance. They got her to the hospital. If they hadn’t acted [as quickly], mainly Eduardo [Lima], who works for PFL and Bellator during the event, if they had not acted that fast, it could have been a different outcome.”

Davis didn’t find out about Silva’s issues until he woke up the following morning to messages about her being in hospital due to the time difference. He has never experienced anything like this during his time as a veteran manager but through communication with the hospital, Silva’s family, loved ones, coaches and the promotion, they were able to support her.

“We had a group of people working, everybody’s on top of this,” Davis said. “She had an angel, a friend of hers, who was an angel in her life, stayed beside her through thick and thin and is still beside her.

“It seemed like we were going to have to put her in an ambulance plane with a doctor and a nurse to send her back to Brazil. Mike Kogan, Eduardo from Bellator, they never blinked an eye. They said whatever she needs. Whatever is needed. You can only imagine what that would cost but they never blinked.”

The latest update on Silva’s condition was that she had returned to Brazil where she was being treated in a support facility where she was showing promising signs of recovery. Davis stated that a GoFundMe page may be set-up in the near future in order to help the 29-year old fighter fund her medical care.

“Amazingly, she started getting better,” Davis said. “She started showing improvement. Slow improvement with this angel beside her. When you have a situation like this, they start bringing her out of the coma but it’s not like you turn on a switch and she wakes up. No, it happens slowly. She’s coming back slowly and it’s important to have someone there talking and stimulating her. That’s how that process happened.

“She started getting up. She started talking. She was intubated and they managed to take her tubes out and then it was up and up and up. We’re still going up, but she’s not playing basketball yet. There’s still a long road to go until she’s fully healed.”

Manager Recalls Scary Weight Cut That Put Bellator Fighter Into A Coma: ‘If They Had Not Acted That Fast…’

Daiane Silva was put into a medically induced coma this past September after suffering from kidney failure during a difficult weight cut. The Brazilian was set to make her Bellator debut on short notice in London, England which would have seen her compete at featherweight for the first time in her career. It was a […]

Daiane Silva was put into a medically induced coma this past September after suffering from kidney failure during a difficult weight cut. The Brazilian was set to make her Bellator debut on short notice in London, England which would have seen her compete at featherweight for the first time in her career.

It was a long time before this news was made public with many questioning why there wasn’t any health updates coming from the PFL at this time. Donn Davis stated when talking publicly about it for the first time that the promotion made the decision to not put out any statements regarding Silva’s current state out of respect for her family who wanted privacy.

This was recently backed up by Silva’s manager, Alex Davis, who spoke in a recent interview with MMA Fighting about the initial reaction to the situation and how the staff at the promotion worked quickly and effectively to support their fighter.

“It’s very scary,” Davis said. “Daiane and her family all through the process, they didn’t want anything divulged in the media.

“I’m just going to as far as I can go on the medical side — as soon as it happens, Bellator did a very good job. They found out they had a problem, they got a doctor on it. When the doctor saw how serious it was, they got her to the ambulance. They got her to the hospital. If they hadn’t acted [as quickly], mainly Eduardo [Lima], who works for PFL and Bellator during the event, if they had not acted that fast, it could have been a different outcome.”

Davis didn’t find out about Silva’s issues until he woke up the following morning to messages about her being in hospital due to the time difference. He has never experienced anything like this during his time as a veteran manager but through communication with the hospital, Silva’s family, loved ones, coaches and the promotion, they were able to support her.

“We had a group of people working, everybody’s on top of this,” Davis said. “She had an angel, a friend of hers, who was an angel in her life, stayed beside her through thick and thin and is still beside her.

“It seemed like we were going to have to put her in an ambulance plane with a doctor and a nurse to send her back to Brazil. Mike Kogan, Eduardo from Bellator, they never blinked an eye. They said whatever she needs. Whatever is needed. You can only imagine what that would cost but they never blinked.”

The latest update on Silva’s condition was that she had returned to Brazil where she was being treated in a support facility where she was showing promising signs of recovery. Davis stated that a GoFundMe page may be set-up in the near future in order to help the 29-year old fighter fund her medical care.

“Amazingly, she started getting better,” Davis said. “She started showing improvement. Slow improvement with this angel beside her. When you have a situation like this, they start bringing her out of the coma but it’s not like you turn on a switch and she wakes up. No, it happens slowly. She’s coming back slowly and it’s important to have someone there talking and stimulating her. That’s how that process happened.

“She started getting up. She started talking. She was intubated and they managed to take her tubes out and then it was up and up and up. We’re still going up, but she’s not playing basketball yet. There’s still a long road to go until she’s fully healed.”