Josh Thomson has outlined his objections for the PFL acquiring Bellator.
The Todd Atkins Show reported that the PFL was genuinely close to concluding a deal to purchase Bellator, which revived discussion of a possible change of ownership.
John Nash of ‘Bloody Elbow’ remarked that the news was untimely but did clarify that the PFL is one of several prospective bidders.
Nash also stated that rather than selling the company outright, Bellator’s owners, Paramount Global, are looking for a “partner” to purchase a portion of the company.
Josh Thomson, a former Strikeforce champion who is now a Bellator commentator, discussed the PFL’s potential takeover on a recent episode of the ‘Weighing On’ podcast.
Thomson began by praising the caliber of the current roster. Then, Thomson shared some insider knowledge from individuals working under the PFL umbrella, as well as stating the need for roster reductions in Bellator.
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“There’s a couple of things that I want people to understand. This roster — and I came from the Strikeforce roster — this roster at Bellator has better fighters than the Strikeforce roster when it closed.
“I never think it’s good when you close up a (promotion)… There’s, what, 250 to 300 fighters on the Bellator roster? If PFL was to buy it, they would literally take 20 fighters and then the rest would be cut.
“I had a conversation with people that work for the PFL. They said, ‘Yeah, we only want about 20 fighters.
“The way I’m looking at it, I say look, if you’re an investment group… as much as I’ve heard it’s unlikely the PFL will end up getting it, the other ones, if you’re an investor listening to this, this group.
“There’s more of them that have potential to become champion in any organization (than the Strikeforce roster)… You have a pretty deep roster.
“The only thing Bellator is lacking right now is instead of having 14 to 18 shows a year, they need a minimum of 24 a year, two a month guaranteed, to break into new markets.
“I don’t see a positive. I’m just being honest. I don’t see a positive for the fighters and the athletes if PFL was to buy it. I just don’t see one, because they’ve made it clear they’re going to keep their format.
“All those fighters that come over, they can’t have 250 fighters or 300 fighters… They’re gonna cut, I would say, at least 80 percent of those fighters… It’s a sh*tty situation,” Thomson