UFC, PFL or ONE Championship: Who can buy Bellator? MMA expert addresses the rumors

In a shocking turn of events, a Bellator buyout may be on the horizon.

For years, the promotion was regarded as the UFC's only competition on North American soil. Countless Bellator fighters, ranging from Patrício 'Pitbull' Freire to AJ McKee, once claimed to be capable of defeating their UFC counterparts.

Now, however, Bellator is rumored to be flirting with a sale.

The list of potential buyers includes Endeavor as the frontrunner, and it wouldn't be the first time a Scott Coker promotion fell into the UFC's hands. On The Fight Business podcast, Sherdog's Patrick Auger covered the topic in great detail.

According to the podcast, Paramount Global—Bellator's parent company—is more serious about selling the promotion than simply considering the idea. The list of potential suitors includes the UFC's parent company.

It should be noted that Endeavor previously claimed it didn't intend to purchase WWE prior to doing so. While Endeavor is one potential suitor, it was also suggested that the PFL and ONE Championship could take part in a Bellator buyout.

However, Patrick Auger characterized it as unlikely:

"Realistically, it would be hard, right? Both of those companies are backed by private investors. They are not profitable companies. The only other profitable company in the MMA space, at the large level that is, other than the UFC, is Bellator. Everyone else is still very much in the red. They're making strides to make it in the black but they are nowhere near there yet."

Regardless, Auger did acknowledge the possibility of ONE Championship and the PFL spearheading a Bellator buyout as he mentioned that it isn't uncommon for a large investment to be taken up in the world of MMA startups. But he still ultimately declared the possibility of it unlikely.

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The UFC's history with Scott Coker

Dana White is the antithesis of Scott Coker. While he is a larger, overstated presence, Coker is a quieter and more reserved character. The two men have always been on competing sides of the same industry. In the past, Coker has acted as the CEO of Strikeforce.

Despite hosting a strong roster of fighters, Strikeforce failed to reach the heights that were expected of it and the promotion was subsequently acquired by Zuffa LLC and Scott Coker was later relieved of his duties as CEO. However, after he became president of Bellator, he once again became the UFC's rival.