If Dana left ufc and went to bellator could he turn it around?

Or was he just in the right place at the right time in ufc? Could he make bellator a legit organization that can contend?

No.

It’s like saying the ABA could return and be bigger than the NBA.

UFC is MMA to the causal public and at this point it’s pretty entrenched there.

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Could he? Yeah, not just because of his decision making but the money (investment) and talent would follow Dana.

Different story if you’re talking about pre UFC Dana. I don’t know if he’d be able to do it.

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Probably. It just needs a different direction. Be more about entertainment and spectacle like Strikeforce was instead of just being a B league version of the UFC.

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Strike force also struck gold timing wise because of pride falling apart and they picked up almost everyone (the stars at least) who didn’t sign with UFC.

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I wouldn’t bet on it…… With all due respect, Dana and Zuffa were at the right time at the right place and bought an established Product at an extremely low price with really no domestic competitors. The only obstacles were the regulations which SEG had already been working on. But Dana and the Fertittas were just made men when it came to NSAC and other commissions. And they had deep pockets. SEG had enemies in the commissions and shallow pockets by comparison. Now the domestic market is saturated with competitors and the UFC has established itself as the domestic version of Kleenex or QTips. So if he tried to compete with them at this stage I would not put much confidence in it.

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The main stars of Strikeforce were Nick Diaz, Frank Shamrock, Cung Le, etc. Entertainers. That’s why they put on great shows. They weren’t going out trying to sign any boring fighter the UFC was willing to let go just because they were ranked.

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Pretty much this. Could he turn them into a product that makes more money than they currently do? Yeah, 100%. I think his experience negotiating the ins and outs of the tv deals and contracts would help them a bunch, but nobody is ever going to contend with the UFC. They’re way too big and have too much of a head start…but I think he does have the kind of discipline to not overpay great fighters who aren’t popular…I also think having a UFC washout as a champion is terrible business, and Dana would avoid that shit like the plague. The UFC spins a better story than anyone, and Dana could help Bellator there, but they still wouldn’t contend with the UFC.

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How is Bellator still around btw? It can’t be profitable

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Would Terry Silver have made Cobra Kai what it is today with out Sensei Kreese?

Or did he just come in at the right time?

Silver was the brains behind the whole operation. Kreese was the muscle.

Silver was the money

In…guess it depends on the budget

What does Dana actually do? He seems like the mouth piece more than decision maker. Most of the stuff coming out of his mouth is bullshit anyway.

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Strikeforce also had a huge advantage that these guys all had huge local followings that allowed strikeforce to run at the HP pavilion in san jose and know they would sell a minimum amount of tickets.
And they had a pipeline to future superstars with AKA being in san jose and funneling their prospects directly into strikeforce.

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You just wrote the definition of a promoter.

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Lol

It wasn’t really Pride, it was EliteXC and Affliction falling apart that gave Strikeforce their big boost in talent. Almost all their top guys initially came from EliteXC, including Diaz, Carano, Lawler, Shields, Cris Cyborg, etc. Then they built up their HW division from the ashes of Affliction.

Hell, they even took over EliteXC’s TV contract on CBS. Most of Shamrock’s fights in Strikeforce were Co-promotions with EliteXC, because of his shady contract negotiations with the two orgs.

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Could he turn it around, 100%, his track record is there to behold. Could he make it bigger or as big as the UFC, that’s a different question.