The MMA community was struck with monumental news on Monday when PFL officially announced its purchase of Bellator.
After months of rumors and speculation, PFL publicly revealed terms of the deal to take over control of Bellator beginning in 2024, with plans to run the promotion’s independently in the near future, but with the ability to share fighters and more intriguing details.
The industry-shifting announcement generated reactions across the board, from fans to fighters to executives and more.
Check below for the top social media reactions to PFL’s purchase of Bellator.
New MMA Global Powerhouse@PFLMMA acquires @Bellator
— Donn Davis (@DonnDavisPFL) November 20, 2023
Our Fighter Roster Equal To UFC – Both 30% Top 25 World Ranked FIghters
PFL Launch Reimagined Bellator – Bellator International Champions Series
Mega-Event For Fans In 2024 – PFL Champs vs. Bellator Champs pic.twitter.com/Ma4YUl4AUi
The MMA landscape changed forever. A new era has ???????@PFLMMA acquires @BellatorMMA creating a ?????? ??? ?????????? pic.twitter.com/fWldsDNpPC
— PFL (@PFLMMA) November 20, 2023
? BREAKING ?
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) November 20, 2023
We are joining the PFL family!
Bellator ? PFLhttps://t.co/Z21Ksw7qS3
PFL has acquired Bellator, per the promotion and chairman Donn Davis. Bellator will continue as a separate "reimagined" brand in 2024. All Bellator fighters will be "available to compete in PFL fight franchises."
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) November 20, 2023
This is a great day for all PFL and Bellator fighters and MMA fans. The stronger we get, the more opportunities there are for everyone. pic.twitter.com/uqIUW6XM6a
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) November 20, 2023
Let’s goooooooooooo!!! Huge moves yet again https://t.co/hcBDXdbVK0
— Sean O'Connell (@realOCsports) November 20, 2023
Huge for mma ? https://t.co/1moF3AeV9a
— Randy Costa (@RandyCosta135) November 20, 2023
I can’t wait to get in the cage and axe kick this fool. Nate Diaz stop making excuses. 2024. pic.twitter.com/PICjAuNe9F
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) November 20, 2023
"The combined PFL Bellator roster now has 30 per cent of its fighters who are ranked top 25 in the world by Fight Matrix. That’s the same as UFC has in their roster.”
— John S. Nash (@heynottheface) November 20, 2023
Going to have to double check this later, but I'm almost positive this isn't true. https://t.co/aaq6rQvlmA
PFL over complicating things again. Championship series, PFL vs. Bellator, blah blah blah. Stop trying to outdo the UFC with wild ideas. Hopefully some of these great Bellator fighters eventually end up in the UFC. PFL is going to have a lot of these guys sitting on the shelf.
— Fight Ghost (@Fight_Ghost) November 20, 2023
Whatever happens next to @BellatorMMA, I hope the great crew behind the scenes keep their jobs. They do an amazing work and treat fighters with the utmost respect.
— Matheus Aquino (@MatheusDCAquino) November 20, 2023
Oh yeah!@PFLMMA + @BellatorMMA ?#ChangingTheGame#MMA
— Dan Hardy (@danhardymma) November 20, 2023
Breaking News: PFL officially acquires Bellator?#MorningKombat w/ @Lthomasnews & @bcampbell is LIVE: https://t.co/50RGD39POc pic.twitter.com/S3iCq1EGD4
— Morning Kombat (@morningkombat) November 20, 2023
More details on the PFL-Bellator deal, per a press release. pic.twitter.com/SsIFJ9qbUh
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohn) November 20, 2023
This is HUGE for the sport! It will be interesting to see how everything pans out moving forward.. https://t.co/kA9yY5Oxro
— Megan Anderson (@MeganAnderson) November 20, 2023
Bellator's roster is good but unfairly maligned.
— Josh Gross (@yay_yee) November 20, 2023
PFL's roster has bright spots but lots of holes to fill.
Even if rosters are combined, the entrenched fan impression is only UFC matters.
Meanwhile, fighters now have one less real option to negotiate deals with.
Big time TBD.
— Leah McCourt (@leahmccourtmma) November 20, 2023
It’s sad to see @BellatorMMA as we know it ending. Bellator is a big part of my story. I hope the future is bright and to see what @PFLMMA has in store for us, and that Mike Kogan and the team stay.
— Patricky Freire (@PatrickyPitbull) November 20, 2023
I’m curious about the future of the @BellatorMMA Bantamweight division and what’s next with @PFLMMA. The Bellator crew was great, I hope they and Mike kogan are still part of the promotion.
— Leandro Higo (@LeandroHigoMMA) November 20, 2023
Game changers @PFLMMA ??
— Francis Ngannou (@francis_ngannou) November 20, 2023
Congratulations on a game-changing announcement in the MMA space. The opportunities for PFL & Bellator athletes under this banner are endless pic.twitter.com/B8x4Rhb2Uz
Immediate: Are there enough “PFL vs. Bellator” fights to compete against UFC?
— Simon Samano (@SJSamano) November 20, 2023
Longterm: Is a PFL-Bellator dual organization attractive enough to make fighters want to join it over UFC?
Pivotal questions that ultimately will determine if today’s news is a game changer. https://t.co/2Mg4gV2VRn
I’m looking forward to see how things will be handled and the matchups ahead between @BellatorMMA and @PFLMMA fighters. I hope PFL is smart and Mike Kogan and the staff comes along with the deal.
— Patricio Pitbull (@PatricioPitbull) November 20, 2023
PFL MMA ? @BellatorMMA
— PFL (@PFLMMA) November 20, 2023
Here’s everything you need to know about the ??? ??? ?? ??? pic.twitter.com/Mkr0nRZ6NX
Sporticodotcom reports:
— Robert Joyner (@robnashville) November 20, 2023
"A price tag of $500 million had been floated as a potential valuation for Bellator, but PFL acquired the promoter for less than $100 million, according to sources"
I’m excited for the future with co-operation of the PFL and Bellator! Super excited to work with m my brother @SugarRaySefo and @DonnDavisPFL ! I’m even more excited for the Bellator team to come over, my man @KoganMike was the one that found me and changed my life.
— Patchy Mix (@TeamMixMMA) November 20, 2023
THREAD: I took a ton of notes on the big @pfl acquisition of @BellatorMMA from @DonnDavisPFL appearance on @arielhelwani today. A really solid interview you should check out here: https://t.co/TAoH2VxsN2 pic.twitter.com/I9XxTlojNl
— “Filthy” Tom Lawlor トム・ローラー (@FilthyTomLawlor) November 20, 2023
I love what Mike Kogan and his team have built with the Bellator roster. Hope he stays on and I’m excited about the future of @pflmma.
— Logan Storley (@storleystorm) November 20, 2023
should i go to @PFLMMA tournament or keep challenging for @BellatorMMA title ?
— Neiman Gracie (@NeimanGracie) November 20, 2023
If you could play match maker for the day…
— Josh Thomson (@THEREALPUNK) November 20, 2023
What fights would you like to see @PFLMMA make now that it’s acquired @BellatorMMA ?
I’ll start first…
– Jason Jackson vs Sadibou Sy
– Amosov vs Magomedkerimov
– Kayla vs Cyborg
Wrapped up a conversation with PFL chairman Donn Davis a few minutes ago regarding the Bellator acquisition. Some noteworthy info below ?
— Scott Fontana (@Scott_Fontana) November 20, 2023
Things are going to get interesting. ??? https://t.co/qT1kcSGOQw
— Archie Kwame Colgan (@king_colgan) November 20, 2023