Bellator Fighting Championships is not for sale. And that's unlikely to change anytime soon.

Following Saturday's news that the UFC has purchased rival Strikeforce, Bellator arguably takes No. 2 status on the promotional ladder.

But as Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebeny told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), he often reminds fighters they control their own destiny in the tournament-based organization. He said he and his fellow Bellator owners share the same philosophy when it comes to the company's future.

That means any future UFC shopping sprees will not involve Bellator.

So there's no scenario in which he could see the UFC or another big spender buying out Bellator?

"No," Rebney told MMAjunkie.com prior to Saturday's Bellator 36 event on MTV2. "My answer to that is based on our entire philosophy. It's one where fighters control their own destiny. The organization that puts the cage down and puts up the lights, and puts all the cameras together and puts on the show on MTV, has the same exact philosophy of the fighters who step into the cage.

"I am a big fan of controlling one's own destiny. It's what got me to this point. ... It's that type of control of controlling your destiny that is everything our organization is about. It's our very, very core."

With a series of 12-week, eight-slot tournaments in various weight classes, Bellator has carved out a niche in the MMA space. Previously airing on ESPN Deportes and then FOX Sports Net, the organization now airs each Saturday night on MTV2.

Strikeforce castoffs to Bellator?

With Zuffa LLC, the UFC's parent company, now in charge of Strikeforce, options for fighters are even more limited. UFC president Dana White said "business as usual" will mean the promotions will continue to operate independently. However, Strikeforce fighters such as Paul Daley and Dan Henderson – who had previous falling-outs with the UFC – face uncertain futures.

Could those castoffs make their way to Bellator?

Rebney said it's a possibility, but it doesn't exactly fit with the company's M.O.

"Our team has done an amazing job securing immensely talented fighters, so we'll see," he said. "The great thing about Bellator is that a fighter's performance really and honestly dictates things. I don't want to be repetitive, but that's what really controls it.

"If there's a great fighter, and he's available, and it makes sense, and he'd like to be in Bellator and on MTV2, and we'd like him to participate for us ... absolutely we'd be interested."

However, he said fighters won't receive special treatment. The only way to win or contender for a title is by winning a tournament first.

In other words, unlike his debut in Strikeforce, a fighter such as Henderson wouldn't contend for a title in his first outing.

That understandably may turn off some fighters from signing with Bellator.

"There's no potential way for someone ... to come over here, no matter how good they are, and get a title shot," Rebney said. "You'd never see a situation in Bellator like with what happened with Dan Henderson, where he was brought over (to Strikeforce) and through a matchmaking formula be given a title shot.

"Under no circumstance would we make that exception. Paul Daley or anyone else from Strikeforce or anyone else's roster, they'd have to go through the same exact process Eddie Alvarez and other fighter have gone through."

UFC-Strikeforce purchase good for MMA?

So will the UFC's purchase of Strikeforce ultimately be good or bad for MMA?

Rebney said it's too soon to tell.

"I think time will tell whether it's good or bad overall for the industry," he said. "Competition is good for the industry. ... Competition ultimately breeds the best. ... It's always good to have alternatives and competition, especially in a space growing as quickly as the mixed-martial-arts space is.

"Ultimately, only time will tell if it was a good thing for the industry."

However, he thinks Bellator's unique situation provides insulation from such ripples in the MMA space. By securing a multi-year TV deal, building and developing its own talent, largely ignoring the big-name free-agency market, and working with a solid ownership group, Rebney said Bellator doesn't need to spend much time looking over its shoulder.

"When you have the kind of TV alliance we have ... and the fighters we have, the things that happen around you – industry-specific things – become less and less important," he said.