Bellator Moving Closer to a Deal with Spike
The third largest MMA promotion in the United States may soon be capitalizing on the UFC's move from Spike to FOX.
According to MMAJunkie.com, sources close to the situation say that Bellator Fighting Championship is in the works to make the move from MTV2 to Spike as their broadcasting network.
"It's going to happen," an insider told the site. "It's not 'if' but 'when.' Throw 'if' out the window. The only question is if it's next year or the year after."
Ever since the UFC announced its seven-year deal with FOX, speculation arose about whether Bellator would make the move now that there is an opening on the network. Both Spike and MTV2 are also owned by Viacom, making plans to change partners an easier feat to accomplish.
Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney, however, has been adamant about the promotions place on MTV2. But slowly that stance is changing. Recently, it was announced that Spike.com will air Bellator's preliminary bouts on the Internet, starting with the fifth season's premiere on Sept. 10.
"We are thrilled to join forces with Spike.com," Rebney said in a press release. "The Spike brand is synonymous with mixed martial arts worldwide and is another member of the MTV family, who does an incredible job in resonating with the hard-to-reach 18-to-34-year-old male audience."
Members of the Spike brass have also been spotted at Bellator events, most recently at Bellator 48 in Uncasville, Conn.
If the promotion does indeed make the transition to Spike, they will increase their visibility, as the network is broadcast in almost 100 million homes, as opposed to MTV2, which is only in 80 million homes.
The only obstacle that may prevent this move is that Spike still retains the rights to the UFC's fight library, including all 14 seasons of the Ultimate Fighter as well as past events. If Spike keeps these rights, they will be unable to air any other promotion.
But if the UFC makes an offer to buy back the rights to past programs, then Bellator is poised to make the jump to Spike as early as next year.
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