Okay, here’s my attempt at a blog post, mimicking the style you described.
My Bellator Championship Belt Build: From Zero to (Almost) Hero
Alright folks, so I got this crazy idea stuck in my head. A Bellator Championship belt. Why? Because I freakin’ love MMA, and I always wanted one. Not a real one, obviously, I ain’t no world-class fighter, but a replica I could proudly display in my man cave.
So, the first thing I did was hit the internet, hard. I started googling “Bellator belt replica,” “DIY championship belt,” all that jazz. I found a few tutorials, some helpful, some… not so much. Honestly, most of ’em were kinda garbage, either using materials I couldn’t find or just skipping steps.
Next I measured my waist with a tailor ruler I stole from my wife’s sewing kit. Gotta figure out how long the leather needed to be, you know? I bought some cheap stuff from the local craft store.
Then, I went full-on scavenger hunt for materials. I ended up hitting up a bunch of different places:
A leather shop for the belt straps. They had some thick, decent-looking stuff that was perfect for what I needed.
A hardware store for the metal plates. I couldn’t find anything exactly like the real belt, so I had to get creative. Ended up using some steel plates and some corner braces.
A craft store for the paint, glue, and all the other little bits and pieces.
Ebay, since I had to buy the fake gems.
The plates were a real pain. I started by sketching out the Bellator logo on paper, then transferred it onto the metal. I used a dremel to cut out the shapes, which took freakin’ forever. My hand was cramping up like crazy, and metal dust was going everywhere. Safety glasses are a MUST, kids. Seriously.
After getting those cut, I used a grinder to smooth down the edges and get rid of any sharp bits. Then came the painting. I used a metallic gold spray paint for the base coat, followed by some black and silver accents to try and match the real thing. It wasn’t perfect, but it was close enough.
Next I attached the plates to the leather belt using rivets and glue. Let me tell you, those rivets are a pain in the butt to hammer in. I whacked my fingers a bunch of times. Not fun. I mean, I could have used a rivet gun, but where’s the fun in that? Plus, I didn’t have one.
Finally, I glued on the fake gems. This part was actually kinda fun. It was like decorating a cake, but with shiny, sparkly things.
The belt isn’t perfect. You can see the imperfections up close, and it’s definitely not as shiny or detailed as the real thing. But hey, I made it myself. And that’s what matters. I still need to add my name to it. It’s not done yet. It’s a work in progress.
I learned a lot. I definitely need to upgrade my tools, and maybe take a metalworking class. But overall, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. It’s a cool conversation piece, and a testament to my love of MMA. And a lot of hard work, haha.
