PFL reverting back to Bellator would be a nail in the coffin, not a new lease on life
PFL appears to be in capable hands with new CEO John Martin — which is why it's so shocking to hear one of the options for a potential rebrand is to revert back to the struggling Bellator name.
John Martin has been a breath of fresh air since stepping into PFL’s CEO role in what most industry insiders are calling a make-or-break year for the organization. Martin appears to be as close to an honest broker as you can get in combat sports. He’s realistic about PFL’s current situation.
He’s making the right sounds when it comes to securing an all-important broadcast deal. He’s teased the possibility of working with Dana White’s newest nemesis Eddie Hearn, while giving the UFC leading man his own fair dues. He’s made tough decisions on stars like Francis Ngannou, but also recognizes the importance of marquee names like Usman Nurmagmedov for the company moving forward.
All whispers from inside PFL are in agreement that Martin is a safe pair of hands in an otherwise fragile situation. That’s why it was so shocking when earlier this week, Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani reported that one of the options for Martin’s potential PFL rebrand was to revert back to the Bellator name, the struggling promotion PFL acquired in 2023. One of the latter-day faces of Bellator, former middleweight champion Johnny Eblen, reacted in a positive way to Helwani’s insights, but prominent names in the space like Caposa — the lifeblood of MMA’s social media discourse — recoiled at the thought of it.
Supported Bellator through all their various eras. The brand ran its course. People even wanted THEM to rebrand at one point.
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