Bjorn Rebney Addresses Bellator's Declining Ratings, Promises That He And MTV2 Are In It For The Long Haul

It’s very interesting to contrast and compare fight promoters. At the top of the list is, of course, the brash, foul-mouthed UFC President, Dana White. Then there’s the soft-spoken but very smart Scott Coker. And before that, there was Tom Atencio with Affliction, and Gary Shaw with Elite XC. But there’s also Bjorn Rebney, the main man behind the upstart Bellator FC promotion. And while I’ve had my disagreements with him in the past, I definitely respect him for his ability to keep his promotion afloat at a time when many mainstream fans consider MMA a one-promotion sport. Faced with sagging ratings, Rebney recently sat down and gave an interesting look at Bellator’s future. Here are all the details.

Here are some highlights from a recent interview conducted over at MMA Junkie: “Our partners at MTV Networks have been really enthusiastic… They’re doing great numbers with us. We’re getting a good response… I’m never satisfied with the numbers. It wouldn’t matter if we were getting 600,000 or 700,000 per show… We’ve got to build it. Every week we’ve got to get stronger and bigger.”

As I’ve said many times before, I’d like to consider myself a fan of Bellator. I’m still going into most of their events not knowing who’s competing, but as a whole, I can only remember missing one single Bellator event since they’ve been on MTV2, and that was not by choice. So it’s pretty disheartening when I see them struggling in the ratings.

But Rebney makes a good point… is it really a struggle? Or is it unfair to compare Bellator’s numbers to those of Strikeforce and the UFC? One of my favorite commenters  on this site recently asked what kind of numbers other MTV2 shows pull in on average, and I didn’t respond because I honestly didn’t know.

Which brings me to my main point: it’s probably more fair to compare Bellator’s numbers to the numbers other shows on MTV2 pull in, not to Strikeforce or the UFC. It’s true that Bellator’s ratings have declined, it’s true that their relationship with MTV2 is still very much a work-in-progress. But if the ratings of the first few Bellator events were awesome compared to other MTV2 shows, and if those awesome ratings have taken a hit lately, that just means that those numbers are now in “good” territory. And good ratings are just that.

We can certainly judge Bellator by its ratings, but it seems as if that’s only one piece of the puzzle, at least as far as the MTV2 network is concerned. And I can tell you right now, fans and friends, that that’s a big relief on my part. I know Bjorn Rebney is in it for the long haul, I know that he’ll keep fighting. I know that he’ll go down with the ship if he has to, trying to repair it and right it until the very end. And that, my friends, is why I sincerely respect Bjorn Rebney even though he sometimes says things I disagree with.

It’s just an entirely different ballgame when it comes to what “the network” thinks. And that goes for all of television, not just MMA events. But it appears that the MTV2 network is also in it for the long haul, which is pretty rare and honestly a little admirable. As a fan and journalist, all I can promise is that if MTV2 keeps letting Bellator put on events, and if Bellator keeps putting on weekly, live, and (most importantly) quality events, I’ll continue to support them, watch them, and encourage everyone else to give Bellator a try.

And what about you, fans and friends? Any thoughts on Rebney’s new interview?