For a mixed martial arts promotion to be successful, the organization must find a way to develop a core group of stars that the fans enjoy watching. The Ultimate Fighting Championship has achieved various level of success in developing the name recognition of such individuals as BJ Penn, Georges St. Pierre, Jon Jones, and Chris Weidman. Bellator MMA, on the other hand, is still far behind in terms of making its stars into bigger names. And outside of Michael Chandler, the cupboard is quite bare when it comes to names that can potentially break out. However, with sustained promotional efforts (and a little luck), their fortunes can change. These fighters have the potential to become attention-grabbers of the homegrown sort:
One of this season’s lightweight semifinalists, Awad is perhaps the biggest prospect of the Bellator’s 155-pound weight class. At 15-5, he has a very solid record, which includes a 3-2 record inside the Bellator cage. However, what makes him a fighter to watch within the promotion is the fact that he is a proven finisher when he competes. 13 of those 15 wins have come by stoppage, and that includes a diverse mix of submissions and knockouts. Like it or not, MMA fans and media get excited about fighters who show the ability to create highlight reels from their performances. Awad is trying to establish himself in such a role, and with his pending rematch against Will Brooks coming in a few weeks, he’ll get yet another chance to shine.
“Pitbull” can easily be considered one of the biggest stars in the promotion who has never been champion. The way he blew the doors off Diego Nunes at Bellator 99 gave him yet another “wow” moment within the promotion. He’s fought for the title two different times, and was unsuccessful due to split decision scorecards. As Freire prepares to face Fabricio Guerrero this week at Bellator 103, the minds behind Bellator have to be hoping for his victory so they can match him against Pat Curran once again. The rivalry between the two fighters is the kind of rivalry that could develop both of them into bigger stars.
The former Olympic Judoka has looked good in his return to welterweight. Outside of his one-sided defeat at the hands of Chandler in January, he’s always found himself in tough battles with whomever is placed in the cage with him. His rematch with Brent Weedman on October 18 at Bellator 104 is an interesting fight because Hawn was able to control Weedman en route to a unanimous decision victory in their last outing in 2012, but Weidman has looked much improved in his recent fights. With the current status of the Bellator welterweight title in limbo due to Ben Askren’s uncertain future, Hawn could find himself contending for a vacant championship in the near future, and there are a number of fights within this division that could raise the profile of Rick “Genghis” Hawn if he comes out victorious.
These are just three of the names that Bellator can potentially build up through the promotion’s tournament format. Bellator’s relationship with the Spike cable television network, through its parent company Viacom, enables their fights to be seen for free in front of the largest possible cable audience. That gives them the perfect platform for helping to place these fighters at the forefront of athletes worth mentioning within the mixed martial arts arena. For a growing promotion like Bellator, that kind of platform is essential. However, it’s up to the fighters to capitalize on the opportunities the platform presents, and keep delivering stunning performances. It remains to be seen whether these three men will seize them, and shine brightly on the road to stardom.
