Bellator MMA hosted its first-ever event in Paris, France, on Saturday, in what should have been a truly significant event for mixed martial arts.
France only recently recognized the sport of mixed martial arts and Bellator was first to host a “major” event in the country. However, it turned out to be a fight card that largely flew under the radar of even the most hardcore MMA fans.
In this video, Ant Walker, Drake Riggs, and Matthew Wells discuss why the event felt so underwhelming.
The panel openly shared their lack of excitement for the event.
Riggs commented that it doesn’t feel that significant considering that almost every country has already recognized and hosted mixed martial arts events. France is only just catching up to the rest of the pack.
Walker says that he’d prefer to see UFC or KSW welcome MMA to France. Obviously, UFC is the market leader and that’d be a genuinely important event in the mixed martial arts landscape. And KSW is known for putting on spectacular events that are truly memorable.
But this Bellator event felt like any other fight card.
Wells asks why should fans even be excited about a new event in France? He feels like a lot of things didn’t make sense about this fight card.
Bellator has a long way to go even in the United States, so it remains to be seen what kind of impact the promotion can have in European countries.
Did you watch the event on the weekend? What did you think about Bellator’s first event in France?
Leave a comment and let us know.