Rags to Riches: Bellator's Meteoric Rise

How do you go from regional, small-time, hardly noticed promotion to a premier, up-and-coming future of MMA?

Excite.

This is one word the Bellator organization has become synonymous with. By introducing a unique, Ultimate Fighter-like season format, with a total of 32 fighters in between 145 and 185 pounds, the bouts put on since this past April have been nothing but filled with excitement.

Bellator even makes it a priority to let fans know how important excitement is to the organization. The following is Bellator's mission statement given on their official website (www.bellator.com):

"Bellator is about the fighters and the fans. It’s the fighters who put it all on the line each day, leaving every ounce of themselves inside the cage. And it’s the fans whose support and commitment to the greatest sport on earth provides us the opportunity to promote and broadcast events worldwide. At Bellator, our mission is to create, promote and produce the most exciting, competitive and entertaining Mixed Martial Arts competition in the world. We will work tirelessly to ensure that the greatest fights in the world can be seen by the greatest fans in the world."

Since its conception in 2008, Bellator has also been the center of many memorable fights being displayed worldwide on YouTube.com.

From Yahir Reyes' stunning spinning backfist victory over Estevan Payan, to Toby Imada's miraculous inverted triangle to beat Jorge Masvidal, Bellator has, for lack of a better term, blown up.

The organization cares for it's fighters, cares for it's fans, and most importantly, cares for the battle.

The word Bellator in Latin means warrior; and Bellator Fighting Championships sure has many bellators.