Bellator president Scott Coker proceeded on Ariel Helwani’s ESPN MMA Show on Monday and revealed the news that his marketing is planning on conducting a 16-man featherweight grand prix tournament. According to Coker, the championship will begin running in October and will feature 16 of their top featherweights in Bellator, including fighters already in the branch in addition to bantamweights moving up and potentially even lightweights moving down. The featherweight championship follows at the forefront of this promotion’s heavyweight grand prix, which only saw Ryan Bader crowned champion, and the welterweight tournament, which is still continuing.
Coker advised Helwani he wants the first round of eight fights in the tournament to take place on a single night or on back-to-back nights in the fall. He also said he needs the championship to conclude within a year, which practically mirrors the heavyweight and welterweight championship timelines.
As far as that will be among the 16 fighters in the tournament, so far nobody has been declared, however, Coker did state that he wants Bellator featherweight champion Patricio”Pitbull” Freire for part of the championship game. Pitbull is taking on Michael Chandler in May for its Bellator lightweight name, so if he does take part in the championship he will still be the champion, meaning that his belt will be on the line in every round of this tournament like Rory MacDonald’s welterweight title is online every time he fights.
So far as other featherweights that are expected to maintain the championship, here are some who appear to be close locks: Growing prospect AJ McKee; top rival 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 will also be encouraged to move up, and Coker said that James Gallagher and Darrion Caldwell is going to be asked to get involved in the tournament. I would also anticipate Ricky Bandejas and Juan Archuleta to be asked, too. As far as lightweights proceed, there might possibly be a few fighters who may create the cut down a weight class including Derek Campos, who just fought at featherweight in his last fight, and Ryan Scope, who only lost a close fight against Patricky”Pitbull” Freire.
It’s fascinating to see Bellator continue to hold these tournaments as the sport of MMA was build on the tournament format. The promotion’s bedrock back at the Bjorn Rebney days was the championships but when Coker first came in they began to go out in exchange for superfights and legends conflicts. But it feels like Coker, Bellator, Paramount and DAZN love the tournaments as this is the next one the advertising will be running over the previous couple of decades. At this point, you have to wonder what another tournament for Bellator is, and if I had to guess that it could be something in the women’s divisions. For now, though, featherweight is getting a great set of fights.
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