Matt Brown blasts PFL for Bellator ‘trainwreck’ and bad business plan: ‘Nobody f*cking cares’ about your format

Because the PFL prepares for its 2024 season to return to an in depth on Friday, a number of outstanding fighters from Bellator have come out publicly criticizing the promotion for inactivity with no indicators about after they’ll struggle once more.

PFL purchased out Bellator in 2023, and even saved the model alive for this previous 12 months, however questions on the way forward for the group have plagued the promotion in latest days. Champions equivalent to Patricio Pitbull, Patchy Combine and Corey Anderson have all lamented lengthy layoffs and in some circumstances struggle cancellations with just one Bellator card at present scheduled for January, however none of these explicit athletes at present slated to look on that present.

“It sucks,” UFC legend Matt Brown mentioned on the newest episode of The Fighter vs. The Author. “As a result of all these guys are within the their prime, too, and so they’re basically losing their prime ready on this group to determine their shit. PFL-Bellator, it simply looks as if a large number actually. The merger with the whole lot, it simply looks as if there’s not numerous group.

“There’s a struggle occurring this weekend that no one even actually is aware of is going on. I believe they misplaced their ass on the [Francis] Ngannou struggle. It simply looks as if a trainwreck. The rails are simply slipping off little by little.”

Whereas PFL officers haven’t addressed the considerations raised by the Bellator fighters, many consider the issues might come all the way down to monetary obligations primarily based on at present current contracts.

Offers struck whereas nonetheless underneath the earlier Bellator regime need to be honored after the promotion bought and former champion Gegard Mousasi went so far as submitting a lawsuit towards PFL after he accused the group of sidelining him whereas allegedly asking him to take much less cash if he wished to struggle.

“What different cause might there presumably be? If that they had the cash, they might be wanting these guys to struggle,” Brown mentioned. “That is all their premier fighters that they acquired with Bellator. After all they need these guys to struggle, get them on the market and placed on reveals for the followers. Us hardcore followers that do comply with Bellator, these are the fellows we wish to see struggle. I wish to see Gegard Mousasi struggle. Guys like Patchy Combine which can be of their prime, they need to be combating. I wish to see him struggle. I wish to see Aaron Pico struggle. I wish to see Corey Anderson struggle.

“That is only a unhealthy, unhealthy look, particularly when these guys begin popping out publicly about it. It simply seems horrible for PFL-Bellator. Appears to be like like a trainwreck on its means. The practice’s going to fall off sooner or later and explode.”

The 2 organizations operating side-by-side has all the time been a bit complicated, particularly understanding that the PFL owns each promotions.

A part of the rationale for the separate entities has been the PFL format, which entails a season-long match that leads into playoffs and ultimately a championship closing like what’s occurring in Saudi Arabia on Friday. It’s a extra conventional sports activities mannequin much like leagues just like the NFL or NBA however made to suit for MMA.

The issue is Brown doesn’t consider any of it has ever labored or actually caught maintain with followers, which is why he’s much more confused about why the PFL purchased out Bellator if it wasn’t to make use of the corporate’s largest and most viable stars.

“It’s a trainwreck,” Brown mentioned. “The very fact is it’s all MMA nonetheless similar to the UFC and the actual fact is nobody cares. Your match? Nobody cares. Your f*cking level system? Nobody offers the slightest f*ck. No one. Not the hardcore followers. Not the informal followers. No one f*cking cares.

“The one means you’re going to compete is by getting the very best fighters and placing on the very best reveals and constructing some f*cking drama.”

Brown believes the UFC’s capability to construct a storyline and promote that in a struggle is actually what has separated the promotion from each different contender that has ever come nipping at their heels.

After all expertise nonetheless issues however Brown is aware of from his personal profession that simply placing on nice, thrilling fights isn’t all the time sufficient to maintain individuals sufficient to look at each single occasion.

“I’ve mentioned it for years. That’s what the UFC has carried out higher than any sport promotion in historical past. They construct drama like nobody else,” Brown mentioned. “We all know the personalities of the athletes. We construct favourite athletes and guys you begin caring about and it builds drama and folks begin f*cking caring. Motherf*ckers don’t care about your factors, about your tournaments. They don’t f*cking care.

“I’ve a great fan base. If each fighter was like me and placed on nice fights, like say me and Robbie Lawler — in the event that they had been all like me, this sport wouldn’t have lasted. There have been nice fights earlier than us, there are going to be nice fights after us, what constructed the game was drama. Then there’s the fellows like me, Robbie Lawler, the fellows who aren’t speaking shit, the [Georges St-Pierre’s] even, the good technical winners, the one cause we’re in a position to get a platform so giant and construct a model so large is due to these drama guys that construct [the sport]. They’re the catalysts for what we’re doing. They’re the lynchpin. We’re simply enjoying off of that and getting that platform.”

Brown says if you would like additional proof that drama and storytelling sells, look no additional than the latest boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, which resulted in large viewership numbers for Netflix.

He appears like maybe PFL ought to take a lesson away from that struggle and actually take into consideration the long run.

“Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, 65 million individuals watch this shit due to emotional funding,” Brown mentioned. “Not due to a single f*cking ability. I do know there’s everyone with the query can Mike Tyson do it at 60 years outdated, no matter it’s, however no, we received emotionally invested. Like f*ck yeah Mike you are able to do it at 60! We couldn’t assist however watch due to feelings not due to ability.

“PFL-Bellator has an extended highway and no sporting promotion in historical past besides possibly Jake Paul, no one else has ever bought persona and drama the way in which the UFC has, and that’s the important thing to their success. [Entertainment] sells, not sports activities.”