Bellator lightweight Cody Pfister has a new MMA home, and at the same time, he’s trying to make one for others.

After a 1-3 run in the UFC, Pfister (12-6-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) signed with Bellator for a debut March 3 against Jonathan Gary (12-7 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) at Bellator 174.

He’s also working with business partners to form a new MMA promotion in his home state of Texas, one he hopes will compete with his former and current promoters. He doesn’t have a name yet, but he’s got the drive to make a go of it.

“It just seems like something I’ve been around for a while,” Pfister told MMAjunkie in advance of his fight, which serves on the Spike-televised main card at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Okla. “The area where I’m from hasn’t done any fights in a while, and I feel like I could do a couple of things different and be very successful.

“Hopefully, I’ll give these guys a run for their money. But until now, I’m going to fight for them.”

It took the UFC more than a decade – and $40 million – to become MMA’s industry leader. Current Bellator President Scott Coker has been promoting for more than 20 years, and he’s now got the backing of a major media conglomerate, Viacom. Becoming a promotional success isn’t something you do overnight.

Pfister can’t compete with the big boys, at least for now. But he thinks he can distinguish himself through the way he treats fighters.

“Hopefully, I can turn it into something that will be worth a lot financially, but I also feel I’ll be a good matchmaker,” he said. “I know how to take care of the fighters. I’m going to pay them what their worth. Having been on the other side, I think I’ll do things a little differently.”

Pfister’s view on promoters is, of course, influenced by his time on the big show. After getting knocked out of the running in the elimination round of “The Ultimate Fighter 15,” he made his UFC debut in February 2015 and was submitted by James Moontasri. He struggled to gain momentum, subsequently winning a decision over Yosdenis Cedeno before being cast opposite the popular Sage Northcutt.

The bout could have been a breakthrough for Pfister, who does construction work when he’s not training. But instead, he got caught by a guillotine and tapped in the second round. A decision loss to Scott Holtzman prompted the UFC to release him from contract.

Pfister feels like if he’d gotten better matchups, he’d have had more success. He also thinks he could have come in to the octagon with better game plans. But now, he’s left to rebuild his career on a smaller stage. Giving his colleagues one of their own is going to be his side job.

“We’re hopefully going to grow into a Bellator or UFC one day,” he said.

And how does he plan to fight and promote at the same time?

“We’ll worry about that in the future,” Pfister said. “My business partners are going to handle a lot of that stuff. I’ll do the matchmaking, so it’s not going to affect my career.”

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