"They're probably just changing the name" - Fans react as Bellator teases major announcement for Feb. 5

Fans reacted after Bellator teased a major announcement would be made on Feb. 5, which resulted in the MMA community speculating on what the future will look like.

PFL, who purchased the promotion this past November, confirmed that it will continue to operate as eight one-off events scheduled throughout the year. The announcement was made on the promotion's X account, where they implied that they will be entering a new era. They wrote:

"Save The Date. A New Era Of MMA is on the horizon. 2.5.2024."

Reddit user AbrahamRinkin created a post and questioned what the announcement could be and what the promotion meant by a new era. Fans weighed in with their reactions by mentioning what will likely be announced, while others took the opportunity to take a jibe the new PFL-owned entity. They wrote:

"They're probably just changing the name"

"They are making Bellator a European base promotion. Thus, it allows them to keep the name and the fighter still under Bellator contracts without losing them yet. Then they will then have a yearly PPV that consists of Bellator winners vs PFL winners. US vs Europe. Which is identical to what the WFL fake promotion wanted and PFL is following. PFL USA PFL Africa PFL Middle East Bellator (PFL) Europe"

"They'll make their fight cards easy to find this time"

"They're finally gonna change that dumb name."

"Aren’t fusing with PFL into one promotion?"

"They're announcing the Sparta tournament with a $5 million prize but only for middleweights"

"Give the fans what they want, Shamrock Gracie IV!"

"Fedor vs Ryan Bader 3 book it!"

Fan comments regarding Reddit post [Image courtesy: AbrahamRinkin - Reddit]

A new TV rights deal could also be a possibility as they aired on Showtime while under the ownership of Paramount.

It will be interesting to see what the announcement will be as the PFL has been putting plans in place for their upcoming regular season and will hope to kick the year off with a bang as they host their champions vs. champions event between the two promotions in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 24.