Last Bellator Event
Bellator MMA has found a new home. The fighting promotion recently announced it is moving to Showtime as both parties are owned by ViacomCBS. The television deal begins in April with the first being a series of Friday night events. Bellator 255 will air on Showtime on April 2 and feature Patricio Freire vs. Emmanuel Sanchez for the featherweight title.
The fights will take place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. The venue has previously hosted NCAA college basketball games after gradually reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mohegan Sun Arena has been Bellator's home since returning to action in July 2020.
- Bellator 237 - Fedor vs. Rampage pits Yusuke Yachi vs Hiroto Uesako fight in Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan, Japan on Dec 29, 2019.
- Bellator Milan: Edwards vs. Van Steenis was a mixed martial arts event scheduled for September 26, 2020 from Milan, Italy and marked the organization's eighth European Series event. The event aired on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom and featured a middleweight.
Bellator MMA held its most recent live event a little more than two weeks ago, Dec. 10 in Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. That Thursday evening, Bellator MMA held its last card of the year, Bellator 254, with Juliana Velazquez unseating now-former Bellator Women’s Flyweight Champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane by unanimous decision (48-47, 49.
🚨 IT'S SHOWTIME! 🚨
Bellator is now on @SHOWTIME. Use this link: https://t.co/TbKTQ7Dlk2 to get a 30-day free trial, then pay just $4.99/mo for the next 6 months (end of April). New subscribers only. #BellatorOnShowtimepic.twitter.com/35R7X0BBpZ
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) February 9, 2021Viacom merged with CBS in December 2019. In 2011, Viacom bought a majority stake in Bellator after years of licensing rights to air its matches, according to Deadline. Over the years, Bellator has aired on various network channels, including Spike (now called Paramount Network) and the CBS Sports Network. Stephen Espinoza, Showtime's president of sports and event programming said adding Bellator will make Showtime the “preeminent home of premier combat sports in America. We are excited to build on what Bellator MMA has created and to amplify the momentum they’ve gained over the last several years.'
The plan is to have Showtime air two Bellator events per month for the rest of the year. YouTube will stream preliminary undercard matchups, and Showtime is offering new subscribers a promotional rate for Showtime's OTT streaming service for $5 a month for the next six months.
0comments'Everyone in this industry knows the history that I have with SHOWTIME. We have done things together that have shaped the sport of mixed martial arts that you see today,' Bellator MMA President Scott Coker said in a press release. 'But what's really exciting about this news is that everything we have already accomplished is just the beginning. Today marks a new era for Bellator MMA. With our new teammates at SHOWTIME, we are going to take this brand to a new level, and you are going to see us build upon the foundation set throughout my time with Bellator.'
Disclosure: PopCulture is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.
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LOS ANGELES - The Bellator mixed martial arts promotion is moving to Showtime.
Bellator will be televised exclusively on the premium cable network under terms of a new agreement announced Tuesday. Both Bellator and Showtime are owned by ViacomCBS.
The telecast deal begins in April with the first in a series of Friday night events on Showtime, during which the promotion will launch a light heavyweight Grand Prix tournament. Bellator 255 on April 2 will be headlined by a featherweight title fight between Patricio Freire and Emmanuel Sanchez.
Bellator has staged its shows at a casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, since its return in July 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Bellator aired its main events on CBS Sports Network since last September. Before that, the promotion was on the DAZN streaming service, frustrating many fans.
Bellator President Scott Coker has a lengthy history with Showtime. The defunct Strikeforce promotion aired its fights on Showtime from 2007-13 while Coker ran that promotion before the UFC bought it.
Showtime is doubling down on its commitment to combat sports with plans to continue its extensive boxing presentations on Saturday nights. Showtime has become the dominant cable network in the fight game after HBO dropped boxing in 2018.
The UFC moved exclusively to ESPN in 2019.
Last Bellator Event Date
Coker said Bellator’s eight-man light heavyweight Grand Prix will include an opening-round matchup former UFC contenders Yoel Romero and Anthony “Rumble“ Johnson in their Bellator debuts on April 16. Ryan Bader and Lyoto Machida will meet April 9 on the other side of the tournament bracket.
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