Big changes are on the horizon for Bellator MMA, and they will start as soon as the calendar flips to 2015. The organization plans to change the way it operates to a more traditional model that will more closely resemble how UFC does things.
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The changes follow close on the heels of a change in management. Strikeforce founder Scott Coker recently took over, and he wants Bellator MMA to follow a more traditional styling of large events that feature highly anticipated title fights instead of the tournament format that Bellator has been using. The change represents a marked departure from the thinking of the previous group that ran Bellator.
According to media reports, the first title fight will happen at Bellator 132, which is scheduled to take place on January 16, 2015.
The event is the first of four events during the first quarter of 2015 that will feature title fights in Bellator. Bellator 132 is going to be held at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California and will feature Patricio "Pitbull Freire attempting to defend his featherweight title against former champion Daniel Straus.
Next up will be Bellator 133 on February 27. That will take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, and the card will be headlined by two title fights. Paul Daley will challenge champion Douglas Lima for the welterweight title, and Liam McGeary will face light heavyweight champion Emanuel Newton.
The fourth title fight will come at Bellator 134 in Oklahoma's Winstar World Casino and Resort when Joe Warren defends his bantamweight title against Marcos Galvao.
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