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Bellator president Scott Coker proceeded on Ariel Helwani’s ESPN MMA Show on Monday and disclosed that his marketing is thinking about conducting a 16-man featherweight grand prix tournament. According to Coker, the tournament will start operating in October and will feature 16 of their best featherweights in Bellator, including fighters in the division as well as bantamweights moving up and potentially even lightweights moving down. The featherweight championship follows in the footsteps of this advertising’s heavyweight grand prix, which just saw Ryan Bader crowned winner, and also the welterweight tournament, which is still ongoing.
Coker told Helwani he needs the first round of eight fights in the championship to take place on one night or on back-to-back nights at the autumn. In addition, he said he needs the tournament to complete within a calendar year, which practically mirrors the heavyweight and welterweight championship timelines.
As far as who will be among the 16 fighters at the tournament, so far no one has been announced, but Coker did state he desires Bellator featherweight champion Patricio”Pitbull” Freire for part of the championship game. Pitbull is shooting on Michael Chandler in May for the Bellator lightweight title, so if he does participate in the championship he’ll be the champion, meaning that his belt will be on the line in every round of the tournament just like Rory MacDonald’s welterweight name is online each time he fights.
As far as some other featherweights who are predicted to be in the tournament, here are a few who appear to be near locks: Rising prospect AJ McKee; top contender Henry Corrales; former champ Daniel Straus; former champ Pat Curran; former top prospect Aaron Pico; former title competition Emmanuel Sanchez; and former UFC fighter Sam Sicilia.
The fact there are not 16 featherweights ways that bantamweights are also encouraged to move up, and Coker said that James Gallagher and Darrion Caldwell will be asked to take part in the championship. I would also anticipate Ricky Bandejas and Juan Archuleta to be asked, as well. So far as lightweights proceed, there might potentially be a couple of fighters who could create the cut down a weight class involving Derek Campos, who just fought at featherweight in his final struggle, and Ryan Scope, who only lost a close fight against Patricky”Pitbull” Freire.
It is exciting to see Bellator continue to maintain these tournaments as the game of MMA was build on the tournament format. The advertising’s bedrock back at the Bjorn Rebney days was the championships but when Coker initially came in they began to go out in trade for superfights and legends fights. But it seems like Coker, Bellator, Paramount and DAZN adore the tournaments since it is the third one the promotion will be running within the last couple of years. Now, you need to wonder what another tournament for Bellator is, and when I had to guess that it would be something in the women’s divisions. For now, though, featherweight is getting a fantastic pair of fights.
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