Bellator president Scott Coker praised the current roster of his promotion, noting that the top fighters of every division in the league are capable of winning in the UFC.
Scott Coker quoted by MMA Junkie
If you look at our weight classes, you'll see that we have fighters who can win in the UFC. We have three or four athletes in each of our divisions that are capable of competing in any league in the world. We have a very strong roster of fighters today.
On December 31, 2022, Bellator lightweight and featherweight champions A.J. McKee and Patricio Freire won by unanimous decision over Rizin champions in those categories, at a joint event. Recall that the Japanese promotion's featherweight champion is Roberto de Souza, and its featherweight champion is Kleber Koike Erbst. The leader of the American team at the New Year's Eve MMA event was Khabib Nurmagomedov.
