The MMA world could be set for a huge shake-up with two of the sport's premier promotions exploring a potential merger deal.
Speaking in a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Bellator MMA President Scott Coker revealed that his promotion was looking for a partner, with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) a candidate.
If a partnership between Bellator and PFL can be struck, this could result in an intriguing battle with the UFC to become MMA's biggest promotion.
Speaking on The DAZN MMA Show about the proposed deal, former MMA fighter Dan Hardy could not be more excited.
"I love it," Hardy began.
"You look at the Bellator roster and they’ve got some really solid champions across all the weight classes, and there are several fighters you could just see stepping straight into the PFL championships right now and being very competitive.
"What I would like to see is both organisations do a partnership and put forward one fighter from each weight class who is their champion."
When it came to discussing what the partnership would mean for the sport of MMA, Hardy believes it could create a powerhouse roster which could compete with the UFC.
"Ultimately, I would like to see the rosters come together, it would be a powerhouse of a move for both organisations and it would immediately put the PFL and Bellator on a competitive level with the UFC in a lot of different weight classes."