MMA promotion Bellator has been acquired by the Professional Fighters League.
Viacom-owned Bellator was founded in 2008 and had over 300 events as one of the UFC’s main rivals.
But they are now owned by the PFL, which is MMA’s only seasonal format consisting of qualification and knockout stages.
Stars in each division have two regular season bouts with points earned per method of victory.
The top four then progress into the knockout stages culminating in a series of finale fights where a title belt and $1million is up for grabs.
But the PFL have also launched a “super-fight” series away from their seasonal format, which the likes of Jake Paul and Francis Ngannou are signed to.
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All newly acquired Bellator fighters will become part of the PFL platform and available to compete in their fight franchises.
Bellator will now be the “one-off” event product from PFL, reimagined from 2024.
The “Bellator International Champions Series” will consist of eight fight events each year with belts on the line.
There will also be a PFL versus Bellator champions event where stars from both promotions will go head to head.
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The shared roster has been dubbed as “equal in stature to UFC”.
YouTuber-turned boxer Paul – set to debut in the PFL next year – took to social media to react to the deal.
He said: “Massive news, the PFL has acquired Bellator.
“This is insane news for the whole entire industry and makes PFL even more of a global powerhouse with a fight roster now equal to that of the UFC.”
MMA star Randy Costa tweeted: “Huge for mma.”
Ex-UFC contender Megan Anderson added: “This is HUGE for the sport! It will be interesting to see how everything pans out moving forward..”
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