The debacle that was the attempt at pay per view for Bellator and Viacom is officially over, it seems, as Tito Ortiz’s withdrawal forced the cancellation of Bellator 106 as a PPV card and will now air on Spike TV instead. What had started as a “go big or go home” moment has turned into a lot of negatives, and some positives, for the nascent competitor to the UFC. I think it’s time we ante up the winners (and losers) from the aborted attempt at entering the PPV market.
Winner – Michael Chandler
Michael Chandler’s the best fighter in the world that no one has heard of. If I had to rank him in the UFC’s lightweight division right now he’s no worse than 3rd behind Anthony Pettis and Gilbert Melendez. If you don’t think Chandler could sign into the UFC right now and run through most of the Top 20 you probably are delusional at this point. Chandler is an elite lightweight and now you get to see face the other elite lightweight not in the UFC for the cost of a cable TV subscription.
Loser – Tito Ortiz
Tito apparently got a huge offer to come back to fight. If you believe the rumor mill it’s supposed to have been $2 million or so, with a rumored PPV cut bonus as well. That might be the biggest payday of his career; he was rumored to have made comparable for the Shamrock fights but $2 million well past his prime is almost stealing at this point.
Ortiz also damaged a big part of his legacy with this fight. He had the perfect exit from the sport last summer. A big fight on the biggest card of the year, showing he had little left to give but to fight hard. He got to do the grave digger one last time against Ryan Bader, redeemed a career’s worth of shenanigans by facing Rashad Evans on short notice when no one else would. He seemed poised into becoming the sort of ambassador for the UFC that Dana White always wanted him to be. And then … then he takes a fight with Rampage, pisses all over Dana White and the UFC in the hype, shows up in second tier pro wrestling promotions to hype the fight and tanks the card properly when his surgically repaired neck can’t get him into the cage.
The fact that he got hurt and can’t compete does more damage than if Quinton Jackson beat him back into retirement. It cements the legacy of Tito 2.0, the one who came back after a contract dispute and couldn’t hang with the best anymore.
Winner- Pat Curran
Pat Curran’s the best featherweight in the world … that isn’t named Jose Aldo. And I think he gives Aldo a run for his money if/when he faces off with the UFC stalwart. Curran moves up one slot on the card and now gets on free TV, as well. Curran/Strauss should be an excellent fight, to boot.
Loser – Quinton Jackson
“Rampage” now goes from headlining a pay per view to not knowing when his next fight is going to be. The Tito fight would’ve been a great rebuilding one for him but he’s also been hurt with the “Rampage 4 Real” series on Spike TV as well. All we’ve seen so far from the “new” Rampage is that he hates training but loves the perks of being a professional fighter. Rampage was a great fighter but all the rumors about his dedication to the craft are turning out to be truths; the show is kind of sad in a way.
Winner – Spike TV
It was supposed to be a big move for Bellator, to go for PPV money. In the end it just winds up being, on paper at least, one of the great free cards in MMA history. If there’s any consolation for Spike it’s that what they were going to show on Saturday, which is probably reruns of Blue Mountain State and Bar Rescue followed by Cops, now gets replaced by a fight card that should draw a good, healthy number unopposed by the UFC.
Loser – Viacom
Viacom wants to make a healthy profit off of Bellator. Nothing wrong with that, either. PPV was supposed to be a big step in making some good gains off them; they do everything else right on a business scale. They have low budgets for their shows and are making a profit because of it. Having to take a PPV show and throw it on Spike TV because of a last minute injury is the kind of stuff that gets people fired.
