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  1. PWC2017

    Bellator MMA & Boxing - The New Era

    Ariel Helwani Show (YouTube) Date: September 8, 2025 Guest: John Martin Host: Ariel Helwani Topic: Pershing Square’s takeover of the Professional Fighters League Ariel Helwani: Alright, we’re back on the show, and this is a big one. Joining me now is the incoming CEO of the Professional...
  2. PWC2017

    Bellator MMA & Boxing - The New Era

    Chapter 16: Bellator Boxing — The First Signings The plan had been discussed. Refined. Aligned. Now— It had to begin. Not with announcements. Not with events. With fighters. Because for Matthew Manson, Bellator Boxing would only be as strong as the talent it controlled. And in this version...
  3. PWC2017

    Bellator MMA & Boxing - The New Era

    Chapter 15: The Fine Print — Broadcasts, Contracts, and Leverage The deal was agreed in principle. The headlines—internally, at least—were done. Now came the real work. The first few weeks after the August 2025 announcement weren’t about vision. They were about detail. Contracts. Obligations...
  4. PWC2017

    Bellator MMA & Boxing - The New Era

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 4 August 2025 Pershing Square Announces Agreement to Acquire Professional Fighters League New York, NY / Las Vegas, NV — Pershing Square Capital Management today announced that it has reached an agreement in principle to acquire 100% of the Professional Fighters League...
  5. PWC2017

    Bellator MMA & Boxing - The New Era

    Chapter 14: Building the Roster — The Long Bet Long before Bellator Boxing had a name— It had a plan. And that plan didn’t start with established champions. It started with prospects. Back in 2024, while most of the focus sat on New World Pro-Wrestling and the evolving MMA strategy, Matthew...
  6. PWC2017

    Bellator MMA & Boxing - The New Era

    Chapter 13: The PBC Play — Building the Bridge Las Vegas again. But this time, it wasn’t about MMA. It was about boxing. And for Matthew Manson, the key wasn’t to fight the system. It was to step inside it. At the centre of that system sat Premier Boxing Champions. Not a traditional...
  7. PWC2017

    Bellator MMA & Boxing - The New Era

    Chapter 12: The 2025 Plan By early 2025, the thinking was complete. The modelling was done. The conversations had matured. Now— It was time to act. For Bill Ackman and Pershing, this wasn’t a concept anymore. It was a structured investment plan. $1 Billion. Not all at once. Not recklessly...
  8. PWC2017

    Bellator MMA & Boxing - The New Era

    Chapter 11: The Business Behind It By mid-2025, the question wasn’t internal anymore. It didn’t sit in meeting rooms in Las Vegas or New York. It existed in the background of everything. Why? Why would a private equity group—led by Bill Ackman—seriously consider deploying upwards of $1...
  9. PWC2017

    Bellator MMA & Boxing - The New Era

    Chapter 10: The Difference — MMA vs Boxing By mid-2025, the vision was no longer one idea. It was two. On paper, they sat under the same banner: Bellator MMA and Bellator Boxing. In reality— They were completely different builds. Matthew Manson understood that better than anyone in the...
  10. PWC2017

    Bellator MMA & Boxing - The New Era

    Chapter 9: Platform Power — Amazon, PBC, and the Opening By mid-to-late 2024, one thing had become impossible to ignore: Amazon wasn’t experimenting anymore. It was committing. For Matthew Manson, that changed everything. The earlier meetings had been exploratory—positioning, alignment, future...
  11. PWC2017

    Bellator MMA & Boxing - The New Era

    Chapter 8: The Even Bigger Idea — Boxing The MMA plan was clear. Defined. Structured. Ready. But Matthew Manson wasn’t finished. Not even close. Because sitting behind everything—the PFL deal, the Bellator MMA rebrand, the Amazon alignment— There was another idea. Bigger. More complicated...
  12. PWC2017

    Bellator MMA & Boxing - The New Era

    Chapter 7: The Big Idea — Early 2025 Las Vegas again. Not for meetings this time. For decisions. By early 2025, the conversations had moved beyond whether Pershing would enter MMA. That part was understood. This was about how. Matthew Manson sat at the head of a quiet conference table...
  13. PWC2017

    Bellator MMA & Boxing - The New Era

    Chapter 6: PFL — The Reality in 2025 By the time due diligence moved into its deeper phase, Matthew Manson wanted one thing above all else: Clarity. Not potential. Not narrative. Reality. Because before Pershing could decide what Professional Fighters League could become— They needed to...
  14. PWC2017

    Bellator MMA & Boxing - The New Era

    Chapter 5: Due Diligence — Early 2025 By early 2025, the shift was undeniable. The conversations were no longer theoretical. They were active. The first outreach had been quiet. Controlled. Exactly as planned. No intermediaries beyond what was necessary. No signals to the market. Just a direct...
  15. PWC2017

    Bellator MMA & Boxing - The New Era

    Chapter 4: Under Wraps — Late 2024 There were no headlines. No leaks. No speculation. No “sources close to the situation.” Because there was nothing to report. And that was exactly how Matthew Manson wanted it. Every conversation happened behind closed doors. No unnecessary attendees. No paper...
  16. PWC2017

    Bellator MMA & Boxing - The New Era

    Chapter 3: Setting the Scene — Summer 2024 By the summer of 2024, the idea had moved beyond theory. It wasn’t just about markets anymore. Or timing. Or watching what came next. It was about people. Matthew Manson had always believed the structure would come. Capital, broadcast, strategy—those...
  17. PWC2017

    Bellator MMA & Boxing - The New Era

    Chapter 2: Setting the Scene — Mid 2024 Seattle didn’t feel like fight territory. That was exactly why Manson liked it. The glass towers, the quiet efficiency, the understated scale of it all—it was a different kind of power. Not noise. Not spectacle. Infrastructure. And right now...
  18. PWC2017

    Bellator MMA & Boxing - The New Era

    Chapter 1 - Setting the Scene - 2023 The first real conversation didn’t happen in a boardroom. It happened in a quiet corner of a private lounge in Las Vegas, early 2023—halfway between celebration and calculation. The Birmingham City F.C. acquisition was still fresh enough to feel like...
  19. PWC2017

    New World Pro-Wrestling - The New Alternative

    New World Pro-Wrestling - EVENT REPORT: BATTLE LAREDO Governing Body: NWA | Date: January 13, 2026 Venue: Sames Auto Arena, Laredo, TX, USA Projected Attendance: 5,500 | Projected Viewership: 450,000 (Amazon Prime) THE OPENING BELL: THE BORDER WARS The broadcast begins with a sweeping drone...
  20. PWC2017

    New World Pro-Wrestling - The New Alternative

    PRESS RELEASE - 9th January 2026. New World Pro-Wrestling (NWPW) today announced that PrimeAccess: THE ONE – Las Vegas has officially surpassed 15,000 tickets sold as anticipation continues to build for fight week in the lead-up to THE ONE on January 17, 2026. Taking place at the Las Vegas...
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