PFL Purchases Bellator

PFL chairman Donn Davis announced on Monday that the PFL has officially acquired Bellator.

Exact terms of the deal have not been provided to the public as of yet. The former parent company of Bellator, Paramount, will remain involved as a minority owner. The current plan is for Bellator to remain a separate reimagined product. However, all Bellator signed athletes will be available to compete at PFL events.

Donn Davis told ESPN “With this acquisition, this combined roster is now equal to the UFC in terms of Top 25-ranked talent. The quality of product, the depth of product. This makes PFL a global powerhouse overnight. That’s just not possible in everyday sports. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Bellator’s final event under it’s current structure was Bellator 301: Amosov vs Jackson.

The PFL has a intricate structure at the moment with what are known as fight “franchises”. There are five of these fight franchises: PFL League Season, PFL pay-per-view Super Fight League, PFL Challenger Series, PFL International Leagues, and Bellator. The challenger series is dedicated to finding up and coming talent and the International Leagues is focused on getting a foothold in Europe, Africa, and Australia.

One of the most exciting parts about this deal is the increase in the quality of the overall roster. PFL now has the ability to use fighters such as Cris Cyborg, Patricio Freire, Vadim Nemkov, Usman Nurmagomedov, and many others on their cards.

PFL plans on having a PFL champions vs Bellator champions mega event, which sounds exciting. However, if Bellator’s biggest stars are going to be used on PFL cards then what does that mean for the quality of future Bellator cards?