Earlier this year, Bellator MMA, along with the support of Viacom, continued its embarkment on a series of “power moves” to close the distance with its rival, the UFC, and to quiet those who refer to the company as “the other guys.”
These moves began with the pursuit of free agents. Last year, it with Phil Davis. More recently, it has been Benson Henderson and Matt Mitrione.
Henderson, a former UFC lightweight champion and decorated fighter in two divisions, was a big initial step for Bellator head Scott Coker and his regime. Henderson decided to test free agency, an occurrence that is becoming more frequent as fighters attempt to find out their true worth. It’s also an occurrence that was previously unheard of in MMA. A UFC fighter had, up to this point, almost always re-signed with the promotion. It was a safe move in an industry where cash isn’t exactly flowing into a fighter’s pocket.