Bellator 131 Results: Burning Questions for Bellator Heading into 2015
Bellator 131 is in the books! The results* are as follows:
Main Card
Tito Ortiz def. Stephan Bonnar via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
Will Brooks def. Michael Chandler via TKO (punches), Round 4, 3:48
Joe Schilling def. Melvin Manhoef via knockout (punches), Round 2, 0:32
Mike Richman def. Nam Phan via knockout (punches), Round 1, 0:46
Muhammed Lawal def. Joe Vedepo via TKO (punches), Round 3, 0:39
Preliminary Card
Joao Faria def. Ian Butler via submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 3, 1:58
A.J. Matthews def. Kyle Bolt via knockout (punches), Round 1, 1:39
Jonathan Santa Maria def. Ron Henderson via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Andy Murad def. Bubba Pugh via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Nick Garcia def. Matthew Ramirez via submission (guillotine choke), Round 2, 0:56
Jordan Bailey def. Alex Higley via submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 3:27
Rolando Perez vs. Mark Vorgeas ruled split draw (29-27 Vorgeas, 26-30, 28-28)
With the Bjorn Rebney era officially finished and some serious changes over the horizon for Bellator, it is worth discussing what is in store and what we might see for the No. 2 promotion in MMA.
What are the biggest questions concerning Bellator's future? Find out right here!
*Results courtesy of CagePotato.com.
Will Bellator Continue Prioritizing Big-Name Imports over Homegrown Talent?
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What's the Situation?
Bellator 131 just went down, and while it featured two arguable top-10 lightweight talents facing off in Michael Chandler and Will Brooks, the headline was a battle between light heavyweight dinosaurs Stephan Bonnar and Tito Ortiz. Chandler (who was supposed to be Bellator's poster boy) getting booked underneath dinosaurs isn't new, either.
That sends an interesting message for a promotion in transition and can be looked at two different ways...
What Could Happen?
So what are those two ways? The first is that Bellator is being plain-and-simple smart. No matter how purist fans may be, they cannot deny that Jackson, Ortiz, Lawal and even Bonnar are bigger draws than...pretty much anybody else on the Bellator roster.
Bellator would basically be turning down free money by pretending that isn't the case. It's just taking another page out of the UFC's old playbook (remember UFC 50?), and will continue doing so until its other fighters catch up.
The second is that, well, the UFC itself can't even manufacture new stars these days. Why should Bellator think it can do what its big brother cannot? Bellator has some draws already in Jackson, Ortiz, Bobby Lashley and Melvin Manhoef. It may just try to build around those types of big-name imports rather than really giving its champions their due as the top dogs in the promotion.
When Will We Find Out?
After a few cards, we will get a good feel for where things lie (assuming champions and dinosaurs alike continue being booked side by side). If Joe Warren, Vitaly Minakov or Patricio Freire wind up regularly behind the likes of Lashley and Lawal...well, that will speak for itself.
Will Bellator's Established Champions Become More Active?
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What's the Situation?
From the very beginning, Bellator has always struggled with keeping its champions active. There have been many changes since the days of Christian M'Pumbu vs. Travis Wiuff, but the promotion's top stars still find themselves lucky to earn more than one paycheck a year.
By 2014's end, the only belt that will have been on the line more than twice is the light heavyweight one. The vast majority of champions will have fought just twice in the year, and heavyweight champ Vitaly Minakov will have fought just once.
What Could Happen?
Bellator is poised to radically cut down on the frequency of its events (check out Scott Coker's interview with MMAFighting.com). That could go in two different directions for Bellator: Either two title fights on one card will become commonplace, or (as we discussed on the previous slide) Bellator will continue building cards around its aging ex-UFC stars at the expense of its homegrown talent.
When Will We Find Out?
A few months deep into 2015, in all likelihood. Once we see multiple cards fleshed out, we can get a better idea of what Bellator's long-term plan is.
Can Any of Its Current Crop of Champions Become Stars?
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What's the Situation?
Bellator may have good fighters wearing its belts, but absolutely none of them have caught on with fans. It is up for debate whether or not any of them have the personality or the elite-level skills to become stars.
What Could Happen?
2014 saw six of Bellator's seven championships change hands at least once. That works out to none of the champions having a serious opportunity to gel with fans. If titles keep changing hands, or if Bellator continues keeping its top names on its own circuit, that may not change.
When Will We Find Out?
There are a few ways to become an overnight sensation. Ronda Rousey did so with an emphatic armbar followed by smack talk, Conor McGregor did so with some quality mic work and Alexander Gustafsson did so with one particularly entertaining fight. Any given Bellator event could technically yield an overnight star.
What Bellator really needs, though, is some consistency. If one of its champions has sustained success and puts on dominant, exciting performances, we could see the promotion finally get another Michael Chandler...except hopefully the next Chandler won't be railroaded by back-to-back questionable-decision losses.
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Who Could Bellator Be Pursuing?
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What's the Situation?
Bellator has been building its biggest cards around the likes of Tito Ortiz and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson but has recently begun seeking exciting, recognizable fighters for backup like Melvin Manhoef, Paul Daley and Bobby Lashley. It's unlikely, however, that the promotion will stop there.
What Could Happen?
There is actually a lot of fairly recognizable talent floating around right now, and a lot of those folks actually have some history with Scott Coker and/or Bellator. Strikeforce favorites Gina Carano, Cris "Cyborg" Justino and Herschel Walker would all be game-changers for Bellator. Old legends Mirko Cro Cop, Frank Shamrock and Caol Uno would all help to shore up relatively shallow divisions. The list goes on!
When Will We Find Out?
Obviously, there is no definite time frame here. Bellator may sign one or more of these guys (or gals) at random points in the future. We'll just have to wait and see!
Could Bellator Pull Off a Successful Coup on the UFC?
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What's the Situation?
Earlier this year, Bellator nearly pulled off a game-changing coup by plucking Gilbert Melendez out of the UFC's grasp. While the UFC stole its thunder by exercising matching rights, Bellator sent the clear message that it is a strong player at the bargaining table with any fighter that catches its fancy.
Whether or not Bellator can successfully lure elite-level, in-their-prime talent away from the UFC is easily the most important question on this list for the entire sport of MMA.
What Could Happen?
Any given contract dispute between the UFC and a high-level fighter will yield speculation that Bellator is trying to outbid the UFC (and possibly succeeding). It happened with Jon Jones, it happened with Nate Diaz and it will happen again and again until something seriously changes with Bellator. What we don't know, however, is if the promotion can succeed.
When Will We Find Out?
The cards are always close to the chest when it comes to UFC contract negotiations, so it's tough to know what is happening and who it is happening with...unless things get particularly ugly. The "when" here could be anytime, and the "who" could be almost anyone.
Which Other Fighters Will Be Cut?
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What's the Situation?
Bellator's schedule isn't the only thing being downsized. So is its roster.
But while it initially seemed like the regional-level pay-to-players would be the ones to go, many of the promotion's better fighters like Ben Saunders, Attila Vegh, Shahbulat Shamhalaev and Des Green, have been the ones to go.
With a lot of decent but generally interchangeable talent on Bellator's payroll, pretty much anybody could be sent packing.
What Could Happen?
Bellator has very few indispensable fighters, and only the hardest of hardcore fans will notice Ben Saunders' and Des Green's absences. There is very little incentive to keep the unhappy, unpopular or unaffordable, and as such Bellator could cut almost anybody.
When Will We Find Out?
Once we get a better feel for Bellator's long-term plan, we can see how that works out for its fighters. It is quite likely, however, that we will see another wave of cuts at some point in the coming months.
What Steps Will Bellator Take on Drug Testing?
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What's the Situation?
MMA as a whole has a serious problem with the use of performance-enhancing drugs. While the UFC isn't perfect, it is at least doing something to curb the problem. Bellator? Not so much.
When Bellator left the promotional Wild West that lies outside Nevada and California, it resulted in Bellator 127 yielding not one, not two, not three, but four failed drug tests. That's a serious problem.
What Could Happen?
Well, there are two ways things could go. Bellator (and athletic commissions) could just continue looking the other way. There is no financial incentive for either party to take a proactive approach to drug testing, so why should it? Or, Bellator could decide to implement some kind of extracurricular drug testing effort for no reason other than preserving the integrity of the sport.
When Will We Find Out?
It is incredibly unlikely that Bellator will take any action to stop PED use among its ranks. Think about how many years it took for the UFC, the biggest promotion in the world, to actually do something about drug testing...and that's the UFC, not a distant No. 2!
Action will likely come from the athletic commissions, but what those actions will be and when they happen will vary from event to event.
Where in the World Is Bjorn Rebney?
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What's the Situation?
On June 18, 2014, Bellator President and CEO Bjorn Rebney was forced out of the company he founded just a few years earlier. On June 29, 2014, he vanished without a trace, leaving nothing behind but a tweet and memories. Nobody seemed particularly broken up about that turn of events, with fighters and executives alike panning their old boss.
The thing is, nearly five months later, nobody seems to know where Bjorn is.
What Could (Have) Happen(ed)?
Who knows? Granted, it's incredibly unlikely he returns from his island of Elba and marches on Viacom's Waterloo, but fantasizing about what he might be up to is a fun mental exercise.
Is Rebney going to start his own pro wrestling organization built around Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in an attempt to compete with the WWE? Is he going to start harassing Scott Coker via text message again? Has he been hiring folks to put together short videos to show how great he is? The possibilities are endless!
When Will We Find Out?
Who knows? Hopefully soon!
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