With Bellator now under PFL, a lot of things will change. That includes Bellator’s relationship with RIZIN, which the PFL plans to adopt. And while it wouldn’t be instant, the Japanese MMA organization is open to the idea of co-promotions with PFL.
Bellator and RIZIN are known to have a good relationship, with Juan Archuleta being one of the proofs of this link. Archuleta’s last fight under Bellator was in December 2022 when he faced Soo Chul Kim in the Bellator MMA Vs. RIZIN event. After his success in that bout, “The Spaniard” took more fight under RIZIN, although he’s still signed under Bellator. PFL wants to continue this setup with RIZIN after the former purchased Bellator this year.
RIZIN president Nobuyuki Sakakibara (via MMA Fighting), nonetheless, doesn’t think it is an immediate thing that will happen. As the executive revealed, the relationship between Bellator and RIZIN was made possible by Bellator president Scott Coker.
“[Co-promoting] was all possible because of the relationship that we’ve had with Scott Coker,” Sakakibara said, referring to the former head of Bellator. “And this relationship has not been developed within just one or two years – this goes way back of working together and the trust and relationship that we’ve had. That’s the only reason why we could make this happen.
“When two promoters get together and think like, ‘What can we do for the future of this sport? We just can’t have our guys under contract, in an exclusive contract, and not let them fight outside because the fans want to see who’s the best fighter.’ And if promoters with the same open mind can work together like that, we can make these things happen. When two promoters get together and start thinking about what the best move is for the future of our sport, we can do that kind of stuff.”
Now that Bellator is under PFL, Sakakibara is considering making the same connection with PFL chairman Donn Davis. As the Japanese MMA promoter stressed, nonetheless, this will depend on whether they have the “same vision.”
“We understand that Bellator is under a new ownership and all promoters have different motives – all promoters have different ways to promote and philosophies that are different,” Sakakibara said. “Obviously, if Donn Davis has that passion, if he sees the importance of what we’re doing, the concept of what we’re doing for the sport and for the future. … We call ourselves a fight federation, RIZIN Fighting Federation, we want to continue to work with as many promoters as possible that share the same vision. I understand that Donn Davis has his ambitions and plans, so if we can make things work, our doors are always open.”
