ShareThisORLANDO, Fla. - In just four years, Bellator Fighting Championships has gone from a concept to a burgeoning national entity on the verge of a major breakthrough.
The company, which based its structure around the motto "Where title shots are earned, not given," employed a system in which each title contender would have to win an eight-man tournament to face the champion.
Tape delays were common in the first season, which aired on ESPN Deportes. As the seasons progressed, stable television broadcasts remained an issue. Bellator's fourth season, which aired early last year, finally delivered a consistent home on MTV2.
The partnership proved to be fruitful. Viacom, MTV's parent company, purchased the promotion in 2011.
On the eve of the sixth season, which starts March 9, many changes are planned.
Last month, most of the fighters under contract with the promotion were flown to Universal Studios Florida in Orlando for an intense, three-day shoot for the upcoming season. Stock footage was gathered for use in segments airing before various fights.
"We're at a huge, big studio, shooting all these guys, getting all this backstory stuff, shooting all this cool-looking stuff," Bellator founder-chairman-CEO Bjorn Rebney said during the shoot.
"It just makes the program tighter. It makes every piece stickier. It gives you all of those little pieces that keep the program connected. You're never kind of floating in space between fights, just waiting for (announcers Jimmy Smith and Sean Wheelock) to say something. It's always got cool stuff. That's what it's about. I always wanted the program to be as compact and as dense as it could be."
Bellator will remain on MTV2 throughout 2012 before it shifts to Spike TV next year. The promotion abandoned its Saturday-night slot for Friday nights, a move made to differentiate the product further from the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
"I think it's huge," said Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler, who defeated top-five world-ranked Eddie Alvarez for the title last year. "I think everybody was pretty much in agreement -- why are we fighting on Saturday? That's when every other promotion is fighting, not that Bellator is going to back down from any challenge."
Rebney and his team consistently improved the roster each season. In addition to established veterans, the company has identified and promoted young talent.
"There's a lot of things that I'm pleased with and proud of in terms of our evolution, but ... it would be hard to beat the qualitative level of the athletes," Rebney said. "You can't say enough about what Sam Caplan, our VP of talent development, has done. It keeps getting better and (deeper). ...
"The one thing that drives the machine is the fighters, the qualitative level of the fights when they step into the cage. You've got to be a fan and you've got to be able to look at Bellator and go, 'Wow. That's some epic, world-class fighting.' That's what makes the whole thing go round. I'm really pleased with that."
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The zaniness that is the UFC welterweight division continues.
In the nearly two weeks since Carlos Condit defeated Nick Diaz to win the interim title, Condit's next opponent was changed once, with a possible second change to come.
Condit, who was supposed to fight injured champion Georges St. Pierre later this year to unify the title, instead agreed to a rematch against Diaz, who announced his brief retirement after his loss at UFC 143.
That potential rematch was scrapped after Diaz tested positive for marijuana for the second time. In 2007, he was suspended for six months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for his first violation. Diaz must appear before the board for clarification in the coming months.
"I am beyond disappointed that he tested positive for marijuana," White said. "It is now in the hands of the Nevada State Athletic Commission."
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Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler recently partnered with the St. Louis-based Friends of Kids with Cancer organization to create BlessedThreads.com, where original apparel with Chandler's "Blessed" motto will be sold. A portion of the proceeds will go to Friends of Kids with Cancer.
(Contact Bob Emanuel Jr. at mixedmartialartstalk(at)gmail.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
