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Since Scott Coker became Bellator president, the promotion has expanded its reach and hosted many significant events. They hosted events at The Forum in Los Angeles, Wembley in London, and Madison Square Garden in New York.
There are several cities and venues that would help grow the promotion’s brand. In the past, they have thought outside the box regarding how they introduce their promotion to other cities. Their recent events in Hawaii have been a good example, as they hosted back-to-back nights of events in Honolulu. Both events were successful as they provided fans with a special week of festivities.
The promotion could still adopt that same strategy in other markets as they have a talented roster. Many other venues could even become synonymous with the promotion, as the Mohegan Sun Casino has been since 2020. This list will look at five venues that Bellator should target for future events.
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#5. Bellator Buffalo: KeyBank Center
Despite already hosting an event at Madison Square Garden, Bellator could continue expanding its reach in the New York market. The KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, is in a great location, and there are many possibilities for the promotion.
The venue is the home of the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL and seats 19,000+ fans. But with the promotion’s stage setup, they can modify the seating to accommodate up to 15,000 fans. Among the many positives of hosting an event in Buffalo is that the promotion could attract Buffalo residents and Canadians. The arena is located 18-minutes from the Peace Bridge, the border between the United States and Canada.
KeyBank Center is another 30-minutes from the Rainbow Bridge, which borders the United States and Niagara Falls, Canada. This would be an excellent opportunity for the promotion to take advantage of as the venue is accessible. The city of Buffalo hasn’t hosted many MMA events. UFC 210, during which Daniel Cormier retained his light heavyweight championship against Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson, was the last UFC event held at the arena.
#4. Bellator Toronto: Coca-Cola Coliseum
It's quite surprising that Bellator is yet to host an event in Toronto, Canada. In fact, the promotion has only hosted a few events in Canada throughout its history. The events were in much smaller venues as they took place at Ontario casinos. The city has hosted many MMA events, including UFC 129, which is still among the most attended events in UFC history.
The Coca-Cola Coliseum would be a great venue to host the promotion’s first event in Toronto. It isn’t as large as the Scotiabank Arena and has a seating capacity of 8300. The arena provides a great view regardless of where fans sit because all the seats are lower-bowl.
There is a lot to gain by hosting an event in Toronto because of the media coverage it could generate. Since Canada’s biggest media conglomerates are based in Toronto, the event could secure a Canadian TV rights deal. Canadians could watch the promotion’s events on their YouTube page, but a TV deal would generate more revenue.
#3. Bellator Vegas: MGM Grand Garden Arena
Bellator has done a great job in California and Florida, but they haven’t taken advantage of the Las Vegas market. It’s no secret that Las Vegas, Nevada, has long been considered one of the premier destinations for combat sports. Throughout the years, there have been many significant fights that have taken place at a Las Vegas venue.
The MGM Grand Garden Arena would be a nice venue for the promotion to become synonymous with. The UFC has hosted their Vegas events at the T-Mobile Arena more frequently since the venue opened in 2016. And so, the promotion could capitalize on what MGM Grand Garden Arena has to offer.
The venue seats 15,000 but could also be expanded to 17,000. The size of the venue and the promotion’s setup with the stage and cage could look great from a production standpoint. They could also benefit from having notable fighters like Ryan Bader, Phil Davis, and Yoel Romero competing at the event.
#2. Bellator Amsterdam: Ziggo Dome
Bellator has an excellent track record with their European events. Regardless of Rome, Italy, Paris, France, or Dublin, Ireland, the promotion has always delivered and introduced new fighters. If they decide to expand to another European market, the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, Netherlands, should be strongly considered.
With Gegard Mousasi being the current middleweight champion, the promotion could garner plenty of interest if he headlines the event. The event could attract a larger audience, especially with a legend like Mousasi fighting in his home country. Denise Kielholtz would be another great addition to a potential Amsterdam card. ‘Miss Dynamite’ is one of the promotion’s top-ranked women’s flyweights and is a decorated kickboxer.
The Ziggo Dome seats 17,000 and has been the sight of many sporting events and concerts. The promotion could make the venue one of their annual destinations similar to Accor Arena in Paris and OVO Arena in London. This past month, the promotion hosted an event in Paris, France, and then London, England, the following week.
#1. Bellator Rio: Jeunesse Arena
It would be a missed opportunity with their current roster if Bellator doesn’t host an event in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They have an incredible roster that includes many notable Brazilian fighters. The Jeunesse Arena is no stranger to MMA events as it has been the sight of many UFC pay-per-views.
It has a capacity of approximately 15,400 for sporting events and could be a realistic target number for the promotion. The Brazilian fans have always been passionate and supportive of their countrymen and would make for an incredible atmosphere. They could gain a lot of exposure should they have all their Brazilian champions compete at the event.
Current champions include women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg, lightweight champion Patricky ‘Pitbull’ Freire, and featherweight Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire. The promotion could stack up the card and have the Brazilian champions defend their respective titles. They could also include former women's flyweight champion Juliana Velasquez and former welterweight champion Douglas Lima competing as well.
