To Sean Wheelock, Bellator MMA already has a leg up on now-defunct Strikeforce.
Bellator has a chance to stick around for the long term because of its ability to build its own stars, the organization’s play-by-play man said.
“I’m not trying to sound like a homer, but there are three organizations that have done that correctly – Bellator, UFC and PRIDE,” Wheelock told The Post last week.
Wheelock believes Strikeforce’s fatal flaw – the company was bought by the UFC two years ago and had its final show last month – was that it relied too much on talent that was first popular elsewhere. A few guys – like Cung Le and Gilbert Melendez – are exceptions, Wheelock said, but for the most part they didn’t do it well enough.
“I think there was a point they did that,” Wheelock said. “I think they had traces of that, but never followed through with it. Guys like Frank Shamrock were already popular.”
Wheelock worked for Affliction and saw how quickly that organization went downhill, because of the fighters it brought in – Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Josh Barnett and the like. Those three all ended up with Strikeforce.
“Everyone else has tried to capitalize on someone else’s stars or brought in people from other sports,” Wheelock said, perhaps referencing Strikeforce’s acquisition of Herschel Walker. “They’re basically going to the retirement home, going to has-beens.”
Bellator has been different, building around young, homegrown fighters like lightweight champion Michael Chandler, welterweight champion Ben Asrken and featherweight champion Pat Curran. All of those guys have made their way up the ladder through Bellator’s tournament structure. And now all are ranked among the top 10 in the world in their respective divisions.
“[Bellator CEO] Bjorn [Rebney] was able to do it first and foremost because of the [tournament] strategy,” Wheelock said. “I think that’s the philosphy you need to have.”
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Wheelock said he and partner Jimmy Smith were never worried when Bellator was purchased by Viacom and put on Spike TV. There was speculation that the network could go with bigger names for its broadcast team, but that never entered the heads of Wheelock and Smith.
“Bjorn told us early on, ‘You’re my guys,’” Wheelock said. “Bjorn always said you’re our guys regardless.”
mraimondi@nypost.com