WSOF vs. Bellator: Who Takes Second Place Behind UFC?

5 Rounds: WSOF vs. Bellator

It’s an age old question in a lot of ways and is typically asked when there are two or more dominating forces at play. In basketball, it was the ABA vs. the NBA. In “professional” wrestling, it was WCW, ECW or what is now called WWE. At one point, when it came to MMA, it was UFC or Pride FC. Well, the answer was clear after the Zuffa bought out the other organization and continues to do the same to this day (Strikeforce, WEC, etc.)

Since the answer of who the best MMA promotion is already etched in stone (UFC), it’s time to focus on second place. The MMA industry, in regards to television time in the U.S., is pretty much a two-horse race between the World Series of Fighting and Bellator. The market is becoming more and more crowded. Recently, it was announced Titan Fighting Championship will air on CBS Sports Network, and it’s certain that more will follow on other networks as time goes on.

For now, it’s all about Bellator and WSOF. There are a lot of things to consider when thinking about the second-best MMA organization without diving into actual ratings and sales. The roster plays a big part in it. To be successful in the MMA business, you either have to build stars from what you have or go out and sign well-known fighters who have come on hard times.

The organization’s champions also play a big part in success. The champions are essentially the face of the business. They represent who is at the top of the totem pole in the organization. Having a weak champion could damage the image of the roster as a whole.

There are several other factors that will play into the decision of the second-best organization, such as the actual name and owner, so let see who will be crowned as the second-best organization in the MMA world:

Round 1: Name - Bellator

There really should be no question as to who has the better name between these two organizations. Bellator is clearly better. It has a nice ring to it and sticks out from the rest. The World Series of Fighting is too long. It's annoying to say and type, which is why most refer to it as WSOF.

Bellator easily takes round one.

Round 2: Owner - WSOF

Clearly, a man running a company for a good amount of time would have an advantage over a newcomer right? Not in this case. Ray Sefo has made some smart decisions in the short time the WSOF has been around. He is a smart man who won't let his pride get in the way of a good business decision. He knew he needed well-known fighters in the organization to get the ball rolling, and he did just that (Anthony Johnson, Jon Fitch, Yushin Okami and other former UFC fighters). The only thing he didn't do was find a way to separate his organization from other MMA promotions, which can come as the business evolves.

Bjorn Rebney's standout moment was when he decided to make Bellator a tournament-based promotion, which ultimately made it completely different than anything in the market at the time. Other than that, he has made some questionable decisions. He refused to sign Fitch and stated he didn't want to go after released UFC fighters. Then he went out and signed Tito Ortiz and Lavar Johnson, two of the worst UFC free agents on the market. He also tried to go into the PPV business, which ultimately failed.

The second round goes to WSOF.

Round 3: Storylines - Bellator

Call it rematches, feuds or whatever you want, but MMA does have storylines in some form. Since the WSOF is still in its building phase, there haven't really been any legit feuds to speak of. Jon Fitch vs. Josh Burkman was the closest thing the promotion had to a storyline.

Bellator has become the king of storylines as of late. Eddie Alvarez/Michael Chandler, Pat Curran/Daniel Straus, Emanuel Newton/ King Mo and the short-lived Tito Ortiz/Rampage Jackson feud are just some examples. Minus Ortiz/Jackson, Bellator has had success promoting shows based on storylines. It gets people to tune in and see what all the talk is about, and the fights have lived up to the hype for the most part. We have also seen storylines develop throughout a tournament. We can't forget watching Ben Saunders/Douglas Lima II shape up before our very eyes. It's things like this that keep fans tuning in.

Bellator takes round three.

Round 4: Roster - WSOF

When it comes to rosters, things get a little tricky. Both Bellator and WSOF have talented rosters at their disposal. WSOF purchased most of the talent in the form of former UFC fighters. That is not a knock on them by any means. The former UFC fighters that have been signed are by no means washed up. Jon Fitch is still a heck of a fighter, Yushin Okami is a top-10 middleweight, Anthony Johnson has always been talented (he just had problems cutting 50 pounds to make welterweight) and Rousimar Palhares is a leg-locking machine. There are also lesser-known fighter beginning to build a name for themselves. Marlon Moraes, Josh Burkman and Nick Newell seem to be the names that stick out.

Bellator has some dangerous talent on their roster, but it doesn't go to deep. After you get past the champions, the quality begins to go down. It's not that Bellator doesn't have talent, it just seems that there is a slight gap between them and WSOF. If this was a category based on potential, Bellator would win.

WSOF barely wins round four.

Round 5: Champions - Bellator

Champions, something Bellator has been able to cycle through regularly, is something the WSOF doesn't have many of. On a serious note, the champions of Bellator have proven to be at the top of their class. While he was the champion, Michael Chandler was a great face for the organization. Eddie Alvarez is still a great champion who always brings the fight, making him a fan favorite. Daniel Straus proved he can be great by defeating Pat Curran, Emanuel Newton (interim light heavyweight champ) has a great story and Eduardo Dantas is another great young champion.

WSOF will have great champions in the future if the cards fall as they should. Yushin Okami should end up being the middleweight champion, Anthony Johnson should be light heavyweight champ and hopefully Marlon Moraes will be crowned the bantamweight champion in the future. Most of the other divisions are up for grabs right now. Unfortunately for WSOF, this is not a decision based on potential.

Bellator wins the fifth and final round.

Winner: Bellator

Bellator ultimately has what it takes to be the second-best MMA promotion, at least for the foreseeable future. If Bjorn Rebney makes better business decisions without letting his pride get in the way, they have what it takes to hold the position even longer. They do a great job of building talent and using feuds to fuel the locomotive. Their champions tend to have personalities that suit what Bellator is all about, and the tournament format is something no other promotion is even attempting to do right now.

WSOF will always be right there in the race for second place. The fighters on their roster are well known, which helps during the start-up period, and Ray Sefo is a smart boss. The company does need to do something to set themselves apart from the rest of the pack. It doesn't have to change the format of their matchmaking, but something needs to be done.

Bellator takes the victory and is the second-best MMA promotion around ... for now.

5 Rounds: WSOF vs. Bellator

It’s an age old question in a lot of ways and is typically asked when there are two or more dominating forces at play. In basketball, it was the ABA vs. the NBA. In “professional” wrestling, it was WCW, ECW or what is now called WWE. At one point, when it came to MMA, it was UFC or Pride FC. Well, the answer was clear after the Zuffa bought out the other organization and continues to do the same to this day (Strikeforce, WEC, etc.)

Since the answer of who the best MMA promotion is already etched in stone (UFC), it’s time to focus on second place. The MMA industry, in regards to television time in the U.S., is pretty much a two-horse race between the World Series of Fighting and Bellator. The market is becoming more and more crowded. Recently, it was announced Titan Fighting Championship will air on CBS Sports Network, and it’s certain that more will follow on other networks as time goes on.

For now, it’s all about Bellator and WSOF. There are a lot of things to consider when thinking about the second-best MMA organization without diving into actual ratings and sales. The roster plays a big part in it. To be successful in the MMA business, you either have to build stars from what you have or go out and sign well-known fighters who have come on hard times.

The organization’s champions also play a big part in success. The champions are essentially the face of the business. They represent who is at the top of the totem pole in the organization. Having a weak champion could damage the image of the roster as a whole.

There are several other factors that will play into the decision of the second-best organization, such as the actual name and owner, so let see who will be crowned as the second-best organization in the MMA world:

Round 1: Name - Bellator

There really should be no question as to who has the better name between these two organizations. Bellator is clearly better. It has a nice ring to it and sticks out from the rest. The World Series of Fighting is too long. It's annoying to say and type, which is why most refer to it as WSOF.

Bellator easily takes round one.

Round 2: Owner - WSOF

Clearly, a man running a company for a good amount of time would have an advantage over a newcomer right? Not in this case. Ray Sefo has made some smart decisions in the short time the WSOF has been around. He is a smart man who won't let his pride get in the way of a good business decision. He knew he needed well-known fighters in the organization to get the ball rolling, and he did just that (Anthony Johnson, Jon Fitch, Yushin Okami and other former UFC fighters). The only thing he didn't do was find a way to separate his organization from other MMA promotions, which can come as the business evolves.

Bjorn Rebney's standout moment was when he decided to make Bellator a tournament-based promotion, which ultimately made it completely different than anything in the market at the time. Other than that, he has made some questionable decisions. He refused to sign Fitch and stated he didn't want to go after released UFC fighters. Then he went out and signed Tito Ortiz and Lavar Johnson, two of the worst UFC free agents on the market. He also tried to go into the PPV business, which ultimately failed.

The second round goes to WSOF.

Round 3: Storylines - Bellator

Call it rematches, feuds or whatever you want, but MMA does have storylines in some form. Since the WSOF is still in its building phase, there haven't really been any legit feuds to speak of. Jon Fitch vs. Josh Burkman was the closest thing the promotion had to a storyline.

Bellator has become the king of storylines as of late. Eddie Alvarez/Michael Chandler, Pat Curran/Daniel Straus, Emanuel Newton/ King Mo and the short-lived Tito Ortiz/Rampage Jackson feud are just some examples. Minus Ortiz/Jackson, Bellator has had success promoting shows based on storylines. It gets people to tune in and see what all the talk is about, and the fights have lived up to the hype for the most part. We have also seen storylines develop throughout a tournament. We can't forget watching Ben Saunders/Douglas Lima II shape up before our very eyes. It's things like this that keep fans tuning in.

Bellator takes round three.

Round 4: Roster - WSOF

When it comes to rosters, things get a little tricky. Both Bellator and WSOF have talented rosters at their disposal. WSOF purchased most of the talent in the form of former UFC fighters. That is not a knock on them by any means. The former UFC fighters that have been signed are by no means washed up. Jon Fitch is still a heck of a fighter, Yushin Okami is a top-10 middleweight, Anthony Johnson has always been talented (he just had problems cutting 50 pounds to make welterweight) and Rousimar Palhares is a leg-locking machine. There are also lesser-known fighter beginning to build a name for themselves. Marlon Moraes, Josh Burkman and Nick Newell seem to be the names that stick out.

Bellator has some dangerous talent on their roster, but it doesn't go to deep. After you get past the champions, the quality begins to go down. It's not that Bellator doesn't have talent, it just seems that there is a slight gap between them and WSOF. If this was a category based on potential, Bellator would win.

WSOF barely wins round four.

Round 5: Champions - Bellator

Champions, something Bellator has been able to cycle through regularly, is something the WSOF doesn't have many of. On a serious note, the champions of Bellator have proven to be at the top of their class. While he was the champion, Michael Chandler was a great face for the organization. Eddie Alvarez is still a great champion who always brings the fight, making him a fan favorite. Daniel Straus proved he can be great by defeating Pat Curran, Emanuel Newton (interim light heavyweight champ) has a great story and Eduardo Dantas is another great young champion.

WSOF will have great champions in the future if the cards fall as they should. Yushin Okami should end up being the middleweight champion, Anthony Johnson should be light heavyweight champ and hopefully Marlon Moraes will be crowned the bantamweight champion in the future. Most of the other divisions are up for grabs right now. Unfortunately for WSOF, this is not a decision based on potential.

Bellator wins the fifth and final round.

Winner: Bellator

Bellator ultimately has what it takes to be the second-best MMA promotion, at least for the foreseeable future. If Bjorn Rebney makes better business decisions without letting his pride get in the way, they have what it takes to hold the position even longer. They do a great job of building talent and using feuds to fuel the locomotive. Their champions tend to have personalities that suit what Bellator is all about, and the tournament format is something no other promotion is even attempting to do right now.

WSOF will always be right there in the race for second place. The fighters on their roster are well known, which helps during the start-up period, and Ray Sefo is a smart boss. The company does need to do something to set themselves apart from the rest of the pack. It doesn't have to change the format of their matchmaking, but something needs to be done.

Bellator takes the victory and is the second-best MMA promotion around ... for now.