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| Sport | Mixed martial arts |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008; 17 years ago (2008) |
| Founder | Bjorn Rebney |
| Ceased | January 14, 2025 |
| Owner(s) | Bjorn Rebney (2008–2011) Paramount Global (2011–2023) Professional Fighters League (2023–2025) |
| President | Scott Coker (2014–2023) |
| Country | United States |
| Headquarters | Hollywood,California |
| TV partner(s) | Max DAZN |
| Official website | bellator.com |
Bellator MMA (formerlyBellator Fighting Championships) was an Americanmixed martial artspromotion founded in 2008 byBjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name frombellātor, theLatin word for "warrior". Bellator's first event was in 2009, and the promotion held313 "numbered" events.
At one point, Bellator was considered the second largest MMA promotion in theUnited States, and one of the largestcombat sport promotions in the world.[1]Paramount Global (formerlyViacom) purchased majority ownership of Bellator from Rebney in 2011, with Paramount's television networks serving as the promotion's media broadcasters in the United States. On November 20, 2023, after then-broadcast homeShowtime announced the discontinuation of its sports division, Bellator MMA was acquired by theProfessional Fighters League (PFL).
Bellator was founded in 2008 by Chairman and CEOBjorn Rebney.[2][3] Under Rebney's ownership, Bellator events were structured around single-elimination tournaments.[citation needed] In December 2011,Viacom purchased majority ownership of Bellator.[4]
In May 2014, Bellator hosted the company's inaugural pay-per-view event,Bellator 120, from theLanders Center inSouthaven, Mississippi, a suburb ofMemphis, Tennessee. The event was headlined byQuinton "Rampage" Jackson vs.Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal.[5][6]
In June 2014, it was announced that both Chairman/CEO Bjorn Rebney and President Tim Danaher were relieved of their positions.[7] Rebney was succeeded byStrikeforce founderScott Coker. Under Coker, Bellator would drop its season-long tournament format in early 2015, transitioning into more of a traditional, single-fight event schedule. From 2018 through 2023, Bellator has also hosted divisional grand-prix tournaments.[8]
In October 2023, Showtime announced that it would discontinue its sports division, with any future sports programming being handled byCBS Sports moving forward, and the division "continu[ing] to air and support the remaining 2023 boxing slate and honor obligations through the end of the year". It was reported that Paramount Global was concurrently seeking to sell Bellator.[9]Bellator 301 was subsequently promoted as the promotion's final event on Showtime.[10]
On November 20, 2023, it was announced that theProfessional Fighters League had acquired Bellator MMA; fighters contracted to Bellator will be able to compete in PFL events. PFL founderDonn Davis announced a planned "mega event" in 2024 that would feature PFL champions fighting against Bellator champions (PFL vs. Bellator), and that it would retain the "Bellator" brand for the new "Bellator Champions Series" cards.[10][11] In March 2024, it was announced that the media rights to Bellator had been acquired byTNT Sports, with events moving toMax and supplemental content onTruTV.[12]
On January 15, 2025, PFL executives revealed that the Bellator promotion would cease operations, and that the PFL and Bellator rosters would be consolidated.[13]
Since the fourth season in 2011, Bellator cards have been predominantly broadcast on Viacom-owned networks in theUnited States. Beginning in January 2013, Bellator telecasts were moved fromMTV2 to Spike (later relaunched asParamount Network in 2018) following the end of the latter channel's partnership with theUFC.[14][15][16] In September 2013, Bellator signed a multi-year partnership agreement withFox Sports Latin America.[17]
On June 26, 2018, Bellator announced a five-year streaming deal withDAZN, covering the U.S. and other markets served by the sports-oriented streaming service. SinceBellator 206, this includes all events aired byParamount Network, as well as seven exclusive cards per-year.[18][19] In March 2020, Bellator announced a deal withESPN Brasil to broadcast events in the country.[20]
FollowingViacom'sre-merger withCBS Corporation in 2019,CBS Sports Network debuted the recap series,Bellator MMA: Recharged, on April 25, 2020.[21][22]
Due to problems stemming fromCOVID-19 pandemic, the contract with DAZN was consensually and prematurely discontinued in 2020.[23] On September 11, 2020, it was announced that Bellator cards would move to CBS Sports Network starting October 1, with preliminary bouts to stream onYouTube andCBSSports.com.[24]
Five months later, on February 9, 2021, it was announced that Bellator events would air exclusively onShowtime beginning withBellator 255 on April 2, 2021.[25] The following day, it was announced that theBBC would also broadcast Bellator events onBBC iPlayer in theUnited Kingdom.[26] With Showtime opting to dissolve its sports division and focus more on scripted programming, Bellator's deal with Showtime came to a close at the end of 2023, withBellator 301 serving as the final event on the platform on November 17, 2023.[27]
On February 1, 2023, Bellator announced that they had signed a two-year contract withGrupo Globo to broadcast Bellator events in Brazil on its Combate channel, after years of broadcasting through ESPN.[28]A few weeks later on February 22, 2023, the promotion announced that they had signed a multi-year extension with the BBC.[29]
On March 19, 2024, the new ownership announced that Bellator events would now air onMax as part of a new U.S. television deal withWarner Bros. Discovery.[30]
| Division | Champion | Since | Defenses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Featherweight |  Cris Cyborg | Jan 25, 2020 | 5 |
| Women's Flyweight |  Liz Carmouche | Apr 22, 2022 | 3 |
| Women's Strawweight | Zoila Frausto | Oct 28, 2010 | 0 |
On February 5, 2013, Bellator and Spike announced the launch of a new reality competition series titledFight Master: Bellator MMA.[32] The coaches and trainers for the series, which will feature 32 welterweight fighters, will beRandy Couture,Frank Shamrock,Greg Jackson, andJoe Warren. The 32 fighters competed for a spot in Bellator's fall welterweight tournament, culminating in a live season finale. The series premiered on Spike on June 19, 2013, and ran for a single season.[33]
In 2016, Bellator Kickboxing, a siblingkickboxingpromotion was founded.[34] Its inaugural event,Bellator Kickboxing 1, was held on April 16, 2016.[35][36]
Bellator Fighting Championships: Season One (April 3, 2009 – June 19, 2009)
During Bellator's first season, events were broadcast nationally onESPN Deportes in theUnited States.Bellator 1 took place on April 3, 2009, and like many events that season, aired via tape delay. Tournaments took place in the middleweight, welterweight, lightweight and featherweight divisions with the winners becoming the inaugural Bellator World Champions in their specific weight class.Héctor Lombard defeatedJared Hess[37] in the finals of the middleweight tournament to become the 185 lb champion whileLyman Good defeated Omar De La Cruz to secure the Bellator Welterweight Title.[38] In addition,Eddie Alvarez defeatedToby Imada to win the Bellator Lightweight Belt[39] whileJoe Soto defeatedYahir Reyes to become the Bellator Featherweight Champion.[40] Color commentary for Bellator's first season was provided byJon Anik andJason Chambers.
| Weight division | Winner | Runner-up | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middleweight | Héctor Lombard | Jared Hess | Bellator 12 |
| Welterweight | Lyman Good | Omar De La Cruz | Bellator 11 |
| Lightweight | Eddie Alvarez | Toby Imada | Bellator 12 |
| Featherweight | Joe Soto | Yahir Reyes | Bellator 10 |
Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Two (April 8, 2010 – June 24, 2010)
For Bellator's second season, events aired nationally onFOX Sports Net in the United States.[41] Season two debuted on April 8, 2010, and like season one, hosted tournaments in the middleweight, welterweight, lightweight and featherweight divisions.Alexander Shlemenko defeatedBryan Baker (fighter) to become the Middleweight Tournament Champion[42] whileBen Askren defeatedDan Hornbuckle to win the 170 lb tournament.[43] Also,Pat Curran defeated Toby Imada to win the lightweight tournament[44] andJoe Warren (fighter) defeatedPatricio Pitbull to become the Featherweight Tournament Champion.[45] Season two tournament champions were awarded a check for $100,000 and a title shot against the Season 1 Champions. In addition to the tournament fights, season two was the first season to host non-tournament, non-title super fights for current champions. Three of Bellator's four champions competed in super fights during Season 2. Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard scored the fastest knockout in Bellator history when he defeated Jay Silva in a catch weight bout atBellator 18.[46] Also, Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez submittedJosh Neer in a catch weight bout atBellator 17[47] and Joe Soto scored a technical knockout victory over Diego Saraiva in a featherweight bout atBellator 19.[48] Welterweight Champion Lyman Good was the only champion to not participate in a season two non-title super fight. Bellator also introduced the new commentary team of Jimmy Smith andSean Wheelock during Season 2.[49]
| Weight division | Winner | Runner-up | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middleweight | Alexander Shlemenko | Bryan Baker | Bellator 23 |
| Welterweight | Ben Askren | Dan Hornbuckle | Bellator 22 |
| Lightweight | Pat Curran | Toby Imada | Bellator 21 |
| Featherweight | Joe Warren | Patricio Freire | Bellator 23 |
Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Three (August 12, 2010 – October 28, 2010)
Bellator kicked off its third season on August 12, 2010, with tournaments in the bantamweight, heavyweight, and women's divisions.Zach Makovsky defeated Ed West atBellator 32 to win the 135 lb tournament and become the promotions first ever Bellator Bantamweight Champion. Also that same evening,Cole Konrad submittedNeil Grove to win the heavyweight tournament and become the first Heavyweight Champion in Bellator history.[50]Zoila Gurgel became the first Bellator Women's Champion when she defeatedMegumi Fujii atBellator 34.[51] The first official title defense took place between defending Bellator Featherweight Champion Joe Soto and Season 2 Tournament Champion Joe Warren atBellator 27. Warren defeated Soto by TKO to become the new Bellator Featherweight Champion.[52] Other championship fights featured during season 3 were Hector Lombard retaining his Bellator middleweight championship by defeating Season 2 Tournament Winner, Alexander Shlemenko[53] and Season 2 Welterweight Tournament Champion, Ben Askren, defeating reigning champion Lyman Good to become the new Bellator Welterweight Champion.[54] Some of the memorable moments from Bellator's Season three are Eddie Alvarez's third-round TKO victory over UFC veteranRoger Huerta in a non-title match[55] and Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard's 38-second knockout ofHerbert Goodman atBellator 24.[56]
| Weight division | Winner | Runner-up | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight | Cole Konrad | Neil Grove | Bellator 32 |
| Bantamweight | Zach Makovsky | Ed West | Bellator 32 |
| Women's Strawweight (115 lb) | Zoila Gurgel | Megumi Fujii | Bellator 34 |
Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Four (March 5, 2011 – May 21, 2011)
Season Four of Bellator began broadcasting nationally on March 5, 2011, and marked the promotions departure from FOX Sports Net toMTV2.[57] Season 4 showcased tournaments in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and light heavyweight divisions. Patricio "Pitbull" defeatedDaniel Mason-Straus atBellator 45 to become the Bellator Featherweight Tournament Champion[58] whileChristian M'Pumbu defeatedRichard Hale (fighter) the same night to become the first Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion in history.[59] Also,Michael Chandler became the Bellator Season 4 Lightweight Tournament Champion when he defeated Patricky "Pitbull" atBellator 44[60] whileJay Hieron booked a welterweight title shot by defeatingRick Hawn in the Bellator Welterweight Tournament Championship atBellator 43.[61] Some of the memorable highlights from Bellator's fourth season includeBen Saunders earning a TKO victory over Matt Lee in his Bellator debut,[62] Richard Hale's inverted triangle choke over Nik Fekete atBellator 38,[63] a flying knee knockout by Patricky "Pitbull" over Toby Imada atBellator 39[64] and Hector Lombard's one punch knockout ofFalaniko Vitale atBellator 44.[65] Hale and Pitbull were, respectively, nominated for the 2011 World MMA Awards submission of the year and knockout of the year.[66]
| Weight division | Winner | Runner-up | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light Heavyweight | Christian M'Pumbu | Richard Hale | Bellator 45 |
| Welterweight | Jay Hieron | Rick Hawn | Bellator 43 |
| Lightweight | Michael Chandler | Patricky Freire | Bellator 44 |
| Featherweight | Patricio Freire | Daniel Mason-Straus | Bellator 45 |
Bellator Fighting Championships: 2011 Summer Series (June 25, 2011 – August 27, 2011)
In the summer of 2011, Bellator introduced the Summer Series which would feature a featherweight tournament that would decide a challenger for reigning Bellator Featherweight Champion Joe Warren. Like Season 4, the Summer Series was broadcast nationally on MTV2. A total of three events were held during the Summer Series includingBellator 47 which took place atCasino Rama inRama, Ontario, Canada. This event marked the first time Bellator held an event outside the United States.[67] In the featherweight tournament, Pat Curran defeatedMarlon Sandro with a highlight-reel head-kick knockout in the finals atBellator 48 to become the Bellator Summer Series Featherweight Tournament Champion.[68] In addition to the featherweight tournament, Bellator also hosted a number of featured bouts, including Cole Konrad's non-title win overPaul Buentello andSeth Petruzelli securing a knockout win over former UFC Heavyweight ChampionRicco Rodriguez atBellator 48.[69]
| Weight division | Winner | Runner-up | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Featherweight | Pat Curran | Marlon Sandro | Bellator 48 |
Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Five (September 10, 2011 – November 26, 2011)
Bellator's fifth season, which began on September 10, 2011, continued to air on MTV2 in the United States as well as in HD onEpix. Bellator Tournaments for Season Five featured the bantamweight, welterweight, middleweight and heavyweight divisions. Additionally, Bellator announced that the preliminary cards for each event would air on Spike.com as well as Bellator'sFacebook page.[70] In the tournament finals,Eduardo Dantas defeatedAlexis Vila atBellator 59 to become the Bellator Bantamweight Tournament Champion[71] whileDouglas Lima knocked out Ben Saunders atBellator 57 to become the Bellator Welterweight Tournament Champion.[72] Also, Alexander Shlemenko defeatedVitor Vianna atBellator 57 to become the Bellator Middleweight Tournament Champion[73] while the heavyweight final betweenEric Prindle andThiago Santos was ruled a no contest after an accidental groin kick left Prindle unable to continue.[74] Santos failed to make weight for a scheduled rematch causing the bout to be cancelled, and Prindle to be awarded the tournament win by default.[75] On October 26, 2011, Viacom, the parent company of MTV Networks, announced the purchase of a majority stake in Bellator.[76] As part of the deal,Paramount Network, then known as Spike TV, began broadcasting Bellator live in 2013.[77] On November 7, 2011, in an effort to expand to outside markets, Bellator announced a five-year partnership withFremantleMedia that would allow the company to position itself as one of the premier MMA organizations internationally.[78] On November 19, 2011, atBellator 58, the company hosted what was called the best fight in the promotion's early history.[79] Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez fought Season 4 Lightweight Tournament Champion Michael Chandler in a back-and-forth affair. In the end, Chandler defeated Alvarez via fourth-round submission to become the new Bellator Lightweight Champion in a fight that several journalists called the fight of the year.[80][81] Other memorable highlights from season five include Douglas Lima's knockout victory overChris Lozano atBellator 53,[82] Eric Prindle's knockout win overRon Sparks atBellator 56, Vitor Vianna's knockout of Bryan Baker atBellator 54 and a pair of knockout victories by Alexis Vila and Eduardo Dantas atBellator 51.[83]
| Weight division | Winner | Runner-up | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight | Eric Prindle | Thiago Santos | Bellator 62 |
| Middleweight | Alexander Shlemenko | Vitor Vianna | Bellator 57 |
| Welterweight | Douglas Lima | Ben Saunders | Bellator 57 |
| Bantamweight | Eduardo Dantas | Alexis Vila | Bellator 59 |
Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Six (March 9, 2012 – August 24, 2012)
Bellator's sixth season began on March 9, 2012, withBellator 60, whenPat Curran captured the Bellator Featherweight Championship after beating championJoe Warren. AtBellator 64,Ben Askren defended his Welterweight title againstDouglas Lima by unanimous decision. AtBellator 65,Eduardo Dantas defeated then championZach Makovsky to become the new Bellator Bantamweight Champion. AtBellator 70,Cole Konrad took downEric Prindle in the first round to defend his Bellator Heavyweight Championship.
| Weight division | Winner | Runner-up | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middleweight | Maiquel Falcão | Andreas Spang | Bellator 69 |
| Welterweight | Karl Amoussou | Bryan Baker | Bellator 72 |
| Lightweight | Rick Hawn | Brent Weedman | Bellator 70 |
| Featherweight | Daniel Mason-Straus | Marlon Sandro | Bellator 68 |
| Bantamweight | Marcos Galvao | Luis Nogueira | Bellator 73 |
Bellator Fighting Championships: 2012 Summer Series (June 22, 2012 – August 24, 2012)
In the summer of 2012, Bellator held its second Summer Series which would feature a Light Heavyweight tournament that would decide a challenger for reigning Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Christian M'Pumbu. The Summer Series started June 22, 2012, and was broadcast nationally on MTV2 for a total of three events. In the Light Heavyweight tournament, Attila Végh defeated Travis Wiuff with a knockout in the finals at Bellator 73 to become the 2012 Bellator Summer Series Light Heavyweight Tournament Champion. In addition to the Light Heavyweight tournament, Bellator also hosted a number of featured bouts, including a third fight between Marius Zaromskis and Waachiim Spiritwolf at Bellator 72. Bellator also finished two season six tournaments with Karl Amoussou defeating Bryan Baker at Bellator 72 to become the Season Six Welterweight Champion, and Marcos Galvao defeating Luis Nogueira at Bellator 73 to become the Season Six Bantamweight Champion. Pat Curran was also set to defend his Featherweight Championship versus Patricio Friere, who is the Season Four Champion, at Bellator 73 but he was forced to withdraw from the bout due to an injury that occurred during training.
| Weight division | Winner | Runner-up | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light Heavyweight | Attila Végh | Travis Wiuff | Bellator 73 |
Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Seven (September 28, 2012 – December 14, 2012)
Bellator's seventh season began on September 28, 2012, with Bellator 74. The season showcased heavyweight, welterweight, lightweight and featherweight tournaments.
| Weight division | Winner | Runner-up | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight | Alexander Volkov | Richard Hale | Bellator 84 |
| Welterweight | Andrey Koreshkov | Lyman Good | Bellator 82 |
| Lightweight | Dave Jansen | Marcin Held | Bellator 93 |
| Featherweight | Shahbulat Shamhalaev | Rad Martinez | Bellator 90 |
Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Eight (January 17, 2013 – April 4, 2013)
Bellator's eighth season began on January 17, 2013, at theBren Events Center in Irvine, Calif. The event served as Bellator's premier onSpike TV. Season Eight included featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, middleweight and light heavyweight tournaments.
| Weight division | Winner | Runner-up | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light Heavyweight | Emanuel Newton | Mikhail Zayats | Bellator 94 |
| Middleweight | Doug Marshall | Brett Cooper | |
| Welterweight | Douglas Lima | Ben Saunders | Bellator 100 |
| Lightweight | David Rickels | Saad Awad | Bellator 94 |
| Featherweight | Frodo Khasbulaev | Mike Richman | Bellator 95 |
Bellator MMA: 2013 Summer Series (June 19, 2013 – July 31, 2013)
Bellator's 2013 Summer Series began on June 19, 2013. All three of this season's tournaments were contested as four-man tournaments, as opposed to Bellator's standard eight-man tournament. The change in tournament size was necessary in order to hold multiple tournaments during the summer series' shortened season.
| Weight division | Winner | Runner-up | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight | Vitaly Minakov | Ryan Martinez | Bellator 97 |
| Light Heavyweight | Muhammed Lawal | Jacob Noe | Bellator 97 |
| Bantamweight | Rafael Silva | Anthony Leone | Bellator 102 |
Bellator MMA: Season Nine (September 7, 2013 – November 22, 2013)
Bellator's Ninth season began on September 7, 2013. For this season the bantamweight and heavyweight tournaments were held as four-man tournaments, while all tournaments were the standard Bellator eight-man tournament.
| Weight division | Winner | Runner-up | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight[a] | Cheick Kongo | Peter Graham | Bellator 107 |
| Middleweight | Brennan Ward | Mikkel Parlo | Bellator 107 |
| Welterweight | Rick Hawn | Ron Keslar | Bellator 109 |
| Lightweight | Will Brooks | Alexander Sarnavskiy | Bellator 109 |
| Featherweight | Patricio Freire | Justin Wilcox | Bellator 108 |
| Bantamweight[a] | Joe Warren | Travis Marx | Bellator 107 |
Bellator MMA: Season Ten (February 28, 2014 – May 17, 2014)
Bellator's Tenth season began on February 28, 2014. For this season the middleweight and light heavyweight tournaments were held as four-man tournaments, while all tournaments were the standard Bellator eight-man tournament.
| Weight division | Winner | Runner-up | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavyweight | Alexander Volkov | Blagoy Ivanov | Bellator 120 |
| Light Heavyweight | Quinton Jackson | Muhammed Lawal | Bellator 120 |
| Featherweight | Daniel Weichel | Desmond Green | Bellator 119 |
| Middleweight | Brandon Halsey | Brett Cooper | Bellator 122 |
| Welterweight | Andrey Koreshkov | Adam McDonough | Bellator 122 |
| Lightweight | Marcin Held | Patricky Freire | Bellator 126 |
Bellator MMA: 2014 Summer Series (June 6, 2014 – July 25, 2014)
Bellator's 2014 Summer Series began on June 6, 2014. The 2014 Summer Series featured an eight-man light heavyweight tournament and a series of Season 10 tournament finals.
| Weight division | Winner | Runner-up | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light heavyweight | Liam McGeary | Kelly Anundson | Bellator 124 |
Bellator MMA: Season Eleven (September 5, 2014 – November 15, 2014)
This was Bellator's final tournament season, as well as the last to be overseen by former CEO & ChairmanBjorn Rebney.
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