Joe Rogan: “I Would Love If Bellator Becomes A Full UFC Rival Like PRIDE Fighting Championship Was”
Joe Rogan is one of the most popular men on the planet. A UFC announcer who turned to psychedelic commentary superstar is known for endless ideas. Joe is a master of making fun out of any situation!
Joe Rogan said he hopes Bellator MMA will continue to grow. Rogan also wants Bellator to become UFC head-to-head rival in the way PRIDE Fighting Championship was. (via MMAJunkie.com)
“I like it,” Rogan said on today’s edition of the “JRE MMA Show” podcast. “I like that the fighters are having a good time over there. They get paid well. I want it to grow. I want it to be right up there with the UFC. I would love it if it was a full rival like PRIDE was.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB7tpgwvg1g
Scott Coker took Bellator MMA over back in 2014. In earlier stages, many people haven’t even heard of Bellator. Yet, Coker started signing high-profile free agents, offering them a lot of money. Bringing superstars like Rory MacDonald and Gegard Mousasi definitively was a great step! Don’t forget other legendary UFC fighters – Wanderlei Silva, Ryan Bader, Rampage Jackson, Frank Mir, Chael Sonnen, and Lyoto Machida. Here is also Fedor Emelianenko, possibly the biggest legend of PRIDE.
Despite Bellator’s value still can’t be compared to UFC, the promotion gets more and more popular every day. The quality of the fights is improving. View rate also grows.
Joe Rogan shows no hostility towards Bellator MMA. He loves Scott Coker. Rogan also mentions that Bellator MMA signed the referee “Big” John McCarthy, play-by-play commentator Mike Goldberg, and play-by-play announcer Mauro Ranallo. According to Joe Rogan, Bellator MMA has world-class fighting superstars in at least two divisions.
“I love Coker,” Rogan said. “I like what he’s doing. I’m somehow or another supposed to be in competition with Bellator. I say that’s horse(expletive). I’m the one who got Jimmy Smith hired (to UFC). I tried to get him hired years ago. I love the fact that ‘Big’ John (McCarthy) is over there now, and (Mike) ‘Goldie’ (Goldberg) is too. And Mauro (Ranallo), I love Mauro. They’ve got great fighters over there.
“I love that Rory MacDonald’s over there. He’s the champ. If he’s not the best welterweight in the world, it’s him and Tyron (Woodley). He’s most certainly one of the best. (Gegard) Mousasi is one go the best 185ers in the world, if not the best. They have legit claim to world-class fighters now in at least two weight classes.”
Bellator MMA is not the only MMA promotion that grows rapidly. Oscar de la Hoya publicly invited disgruntled UFC fighters to join Golden Boy MMA. The third fight between Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz is slated for November 24th. What do you think, can Bellator MMA become UFC head-to-head rival in the future?
