Rebney: Bellator's offer to Gilbert Melendez got him 'TUF' coaching gig
Bellator MMA had a shot at former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez, but in the end, the UFC won out this past week.
Melendez (22-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) re-signed with the UFC, and with a big incentive. He will coach on Season 20 of “The Ultimate Fighter†against lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, and then will fight him for the title. It will be his second title fight in the UFC after losing a close decision to Benson Henderson in his promotional debut nearly a year ago.
He may want to send Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney a thank-you note. On Friday, after Bellator’s Season 10 debut in Uncasville, Conn., Rebney said the Bellator offer that the UFC was forced to match to keep Melendez in the fold included major TV opportunities and pay-per-view points for him – and the UFC’s solution to the TV portion was to give Melendez the coaching slot on “TUF,†which airs on FOX Sports 1.
“I know they did,†Rebney said. “Being part of the Viacom family and having Spike (TV) as a legitimate partner, we can offer things to fighters like we’ve done with (Quinton Jackson) in terms of the theatrical stuff and the reality programming he’s done. We offered some of those things to Gil. There was no way they could match the deal without giving Gil on-camera opportunities and huge pay-per-view participation.
“To the best of my knowledge, he’ll have the best pay-per-view participation in the UFC now, which is great for Gil – he’s a good dude, a heck of a fun guy to watch fight, and he’s one of the good guys in the game. I’d have preferred he fight here, but he’s going to have financial security for his family.â€
Rebney, of course, did not disclose precisely what was in Bellator’s contract offer to Melendez, and all that is known of his new deal with the UFC is that he’s staying with the promotion, will coach “TUF†and will get a title shot directly afterward.
Melendez said after the new deal was announced that he didn’t have any desire to leave the UFC. But by taking Bellator’s offer back to the negotiating table with Zuffa, he had to be prepared to walk if the UFC chose to not match the deal.
In the long run, even though he lost the battle for Melendez’s services, Rebney thinks the whole thing played out the way it should. The competition to get Melendez was not the first between the two rival promotions over a fighter, and it is not likely to be the last.
“I think it’s indicative of how the system should work,†Rebney said. “The UFC had matching rights. We’ve got matching rights. And you negotiate those rights up front when you sign a guy like Gil, or a superstar fighter. The idea is, if you support that fighter and build him up over the years, you should at least be able to give the equivalent of what someone else offered and be able to retain their services, because you’ve helped build them up, and the fighter’s helped build up your organization.
“So we made Gil a great offer. It had a lot big perks in it in terms of on-air stuff and pay-per-view participation … We’re going to get some of those guys, and we’re going to lose some of them. If it helped the sport in terms of giving fighters like Gil a bigger stake in the game, which they deserve, I think it’s a good thing.â€
