Renowned MMA coach Javier Mendez has chimed in on the PFL-Bellator merger and whether or not it is the right move.
During Thanksgiving week, the PFL announced MMA’s worst kept secret. The company has acquired Bellator, adding to its roster, and PFL founder Donn Davis felt it was the fastest way to get talent on par with the UFC. While the merger was certainly a hot news topic, Mendez doesn’t believe everyone is thrilled with the acquisition.
Javier Mendez On PFL-Bellator Merger
Javier Mendez has taken to his podcast to react to the big shakeup in MMA. Mendez believes that it’s a great get for the PFL.
“They’re not revolving, they’re not lasting, and they’re not known,” Mendez said. “Their champs aren’t known worldwide. I can’t tell you who the champ is, only thing I know is Kayla Harrison, honestly. That’s sad, and of course, the two great acquisitions they had in Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul. Those are stellar acquisitions.”
The American Kickboxing Academy coach thinks that the Bellator fighters will prove to be superior to PFL’s crop of talent.
“My guess is the vast majority of PFL guys are gonna lose to the Bellator guys,” Mendez said. “That’s my prediction, the vast majority are gonna lose,” Mendez said. “The heavyweight division, of course, if Ngannou is the heavyweight, no, he’s gonna win. I don’t really know of too many other divisions.”
While Mendez heaped praise on PFL for the acquisition, he explained why not all athletes who competed under the Bellator banner are gung-ho about the move.
“It’s a great move for PFL, it’s a sad move for a lot of fighters that are gonna lose their jobs because from what I hear they’re only gonna do eight shows for Bellator,” Mendez said. “So, they’re cutting down drastically. They’re gonna have to cut fighters.”
Here’s the full podcast episode where Javier Mendez discusses the PFL-Bellator merger:
