Report: PFL in talks to acquire Bellator

The Professional Fighters League is in negotiations with Paramount to acquire competitor Bellator MMA, sources told Front Office Sports' A.J. Perez.

Bellator, the second-biggest MMA promotion in the U.S. behind the UFC, is valued at as much as $500 million in the deal, adds Perez. It has yet to be determined how it would operate with the PFL if the acquisition is successful.

Perez's sources "cautioned the deal could fall through."

Bellator president Scott Coker confirmed in June that the PFL was among the parties interested in buying his promotion, though he opted against discussing how the potential merger would work.

"I'd rather not speculate. Let's just wait to see what happens," Coker said, according to Cole Shelton of BJPenn.com. "It could go a lot of different ways."

The Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund purchased a minority stake in the PFL on Wednesday for a reported $100 million. The PFL was valued between $500 million and $1 billion prior to the investment.

Paramount has owned Bellator since its 2008 launch.