Bellator MMA

Bellator MMA

Company type	Private
Industry	Mixed martial arts promotion
Founded	2008 (2008)
Founder	Bjorn Rebney
Defunct	2025 (2025)
Fate	Shut down; acquired by Professional Fighters League
Headquarters	United States , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Bjorn Rebney (founder), Scott Coker (president from 2014)
Products	Mixed martial arts events
Owner	Professional Fighters League (since 2023)
Parent	Viacom (2011–2023), Professional Fighters League (2023–2025)

Bellator MMA (originally known as Bellator Fighting Championships) was a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States, established in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and active until 2025. Its name derives from the Latin term meaning "warrior." The promotion debuted its inaugural event in 2009 and ultimately organized 313 numbered events.

As the second-largest MMA promotion within the United States, Bellator also ranked among the premier combat sports entities worldwide. In 2011, Paramount Global (previously Viacom) acquired a controlling interest from Rebney, incorporating Bellator’s programming into Paramount’s television channels. After Showtime ceased its sports operations in November 2023, ownership of Bellator transferred to the Professional Fighters League (PFL).

History

Bellator was launched in 2008 by Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney, initially focusing on single-elimination tournament-style events. Viacom’s majority acquisition in December 2011 significantly broadened its media exposure.

The promotion’s first pay-per-view offering took place in May 2014 at Bellator 120, headlined by a bout between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal.

In June 2014, leadership changes saw Rebney and President Tim Danaher replaced by Strikeforce founder Scott Coker. Under Coker’s direction, Bellator transitioned away from its season-based tournament format to a conventional event schedule featuring individual fights by early 2015. Between 2018 and 2023, the organization also hosted grand-prix tournaments across various weight divisions.

Acquisition by PFL and shutdown

In October 2023, Showtime announced the termination of its sports division, shifting future sports content to CBS Sports while honoring remaining boxing commitments through the end of 2023. Reports indicated that Paramount Global was pursuing a sale of Bellator, with Bellator 301 promoted as the final event aired on Showtime.

On November 20, 2023, the Professional Fighters League (PFL) completed its acquisition of Bellator MMA, granting Bellator fighters eligibility to compete in PFL contests. PFL founder Donn Davis revealed plans for a major 2024 event pitting PFL champions against Bellator titleholders (PFL vs. Bellator), while preserving the "Bellator" name under the newly branded "Bellator Champions Series." In March 2024, media rights for Bellator were transferred to TNT Sports, with events broadcast on Max and supplementary programming airing on TruTV.

On January 15, 2025, PFL executives announced that Bellator would discontinue operations as part of a roster consolidation between PFL and Bellator athletes.

Broadcast

Since 2011, Bellator’s events have primarily been televised on Viacom-owned channels within the United States. In January 2013, coverage shifted from MTV2 to Spike (which later became the Paramount Network) following Spike’s separation from the UFC. A multi-year agreement with Fox Sports Latin America was secured in September 2013.

On June 26, 2018, Bellator entered into a five-year streaming contract with DAZN, encompassing U.S. and international markets. This arrangement included all shows aired on Paramount Network plus seven exclusive events annually. In March 2020, Brazilian broadcasts were arranged through a deal with ESPN Brasil.

Following Viacom's merger with CBS Corporation in 2019, CBS Sports Network launched the recap program Bellator MMA: Recharged in April 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic led to an early termination of the DAZN agreement in 2020. Beginning October 1, 2020, Bellator events transitioned to CBS Sports Network with preliminary bouts streamed via YouTube and CBSSports.com.

On February 9, 2021, it was announced that starting April 2, 2021, Bellator fights would be exclusively broadcast on Showtime. The next day, the BBC began airing Bellator events through BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom. With Showtime ending its sports division at the close of 2023, Bellator’s contract concluded following Bellator 301 on November 17, 2023.

In Brazil, a two-year broadcasting deal was signed in February 2023 with Grupo Globo, moving coverage to Combate after years on ESPN. That same month saw an extension of Bellator’s long-term partnership with the BBC in the UK.

On March 19, 2024, PFL announced a new broadcast agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery, relocating Bellator Championship Series cards and archival content to HBO Max, alongside additional programming on TruTV. Furthermore, a rights deal was secured with Anthem Sports & Entertainment for Canadian and select international distribution through Fight Network.

Fight Master

Main article: Fight Master: Bellator MMA

On February 5, 2013, Bellator partnered with Spike to introduce the reality competition series Fight Master: Bellator MMA, showcasing 32 welterweight fighters vying for entry into Bellator’s autumn welterweight tournament. The coaching staff featured Randy Couture, Frank Shamrock, Greg Jackson, and Joe Warren. The show debuted on Spike on June 19, 2013, and ran for a single season.

Bellator Kickboxing

Established in 2016 as a complementary promotion, Bellator Kickboxing held its first event, Bellator Kickboxing 1, on April 16, 2016.

Season One

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season One (April 3, 2009 – June 19, 2009)

The inaugural season of Bellator was broadcast nationally on ESPN Deportes within the United States. The opening event, Bellator 1, occurred on April 3, 2009, primarily via tape delay. Competitions took place across middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, and featherweight divisions to determine the first Bellator World Champions. Héctor Lombard captured the middleweight crown by defeating Jared Hess, Lyman Good earned the welterweight championship over Omar De La Cruz, Eddie Alvarez secured the lightweight title against Toby Imada, and Joe Soto won the featherweight belt by overcoming Yahir Reyes. Commentary duties were handled by Jon Anik and Jason Chambers.

• Champions:

Division	Champion	Finalist	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

Season Two

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Two (April 8, 2010 – June 24, 2010)

The second season aired nationally on FOX Sports Net across the U.S., starting April 8, 2010. This season featured tournaments in the middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, and featherweight categories. Alexander Shlemenko triumphed over Bryan Baker to win the Middleweight Tournament Championship; Ben Askren emerged victorious against Dan Hornbuckle in the welterweight bracket. Pat Curran claimed the lightweight crown by defeating Toby Imada, while Joe Warren bested Patricio Pitbull for the featherweight title. Victors of these tournaments were awarded $100,000 along with an opportunity to challenge the Season One champions.

Additionally, this season introduced non-tournament super fights involving reigning champions. Middleweight Champion Héctor Lombard set a Bellator record with the quickest knockout against Jay Silva at Bellator 18. Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez secured a submission win over Josh Neer at Bellator 17, and Joe Soto achieved a TKO victory against Diego Saraiva at Bellator 19. Welterweight Champion Lyman Good did not participate in any super fights during this period. A new commentary team featuring Jimmy Smith and Sean Wheelock was also introduced by Bellator.

• Champions:

Division	Champion	Finalist	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

Season Three

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Three (August 12, 2010 – October 28, 2010)

The third season of Bellator commenced on August 12, 2010, showcasing tournaments across the bantamweight, heavyweight, and women's categories. At Bellator 32, Zach Makovsky secured the 135 lb tournament victory, becoming Bellator’s inaugural Bantamweight Champion. During the same event, Cole Konrad earned the first Heavyweight Championship by submitting Neil Grove. Meanwhile, Zoila Gurgel claimed the distinction of being Bellator's first Women's Champion after defeating Megumi Fujii at Bellator 34.

The initial title change of the season occurred when Joe Warren captured the Featherweight Championship by knocking out defending champion Joe Soto at Bellator 27. Other significant championship contests featured Hector Lombard successfully defending his Middleweight title against Season 2 victor Alexander Shlemenko, and Ben Askren winning the Welterweight Championship by overcoming Lyman Good.

Among memorable highlights were Eddie Alvarez’s third-round TKO over UFC veteran Roger Huerta in a non-title fight, as well as Hector Lombard’s rapid 38-second knockout of Herbert Goodman at Bellator 24.

• Tournament Champions:

Weight Class	Champion	Finalist	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

Season Four – Transition to MTV2

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Four (March 5, 2011 – May 21, 2011)

Season Four represented Bellator's move from FOX Sports Net to MTV2, commencing on March 5, 2011. This season showcased tournaments across featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, and light heavyweight categories. Patricio "Pitbull" secured the Featherweight Tournament title by overcoming Daniel Mason-Straus at Bellator 45. On the same event, Christian M'Pumbu became Bellator’s inaugural Light Heavyweight Champion after defeating Richard Hale (fighter). In the lightweight division, Michael Chandler claimed victory over Patricky "Pitbull" at Bellator 44, while Jay Hieron earned a welterweight title opportunity by besting Rick Hawn during Bellator 43.

Noteworthy moments included Ben Saunders’ TKO triumph against Matt Lee in his debut, Richard Hale’s inverted triangle choke submission at Bellator 38, Patricky "Pitbull"'s knockout via flying knee at Bellator 39, and Hector Lombard’s one-punch knockout of Falaniko Vitale at Bellator 44. Both Hale and Pitbull garnered nominations for submission and knockout of the year respectively at the 2011 World MMA Awards.

• Tournament Champions:

Division	Champion	Finalist	Event
Light Heavyweight	Christian M'Pumbu	Richard Hale (fighter)	Bellator 45
Welterweight	Jay Hieron	Rick Hawn	Bellator 43
Lightweight	Michael Chandler	Patricky Freire	Bellator 44
Featherweight	Patricio Freire	Daniel Mason-Straus	Bellator 45

Summer Series 2011

Bellator Fighting Championships: 2011 Summer Series (June 25, 2011 – August 27, 2011)

During the summer of 2011, Bellator introduced the Summer Series featuring a featherweight tournament to identify a challenger for reigning Featherweight Champion Joe Warren. Similar to Season Four, these events aired nationally on MTV2. The series comprised three events, including Bellator 47 hosted at Casino Rama, located in Rama, Ontario, marking Bellator's debut event outside the United States. Pat Curran emerged victorious in the featherweight bracket by knocking out Marlon Sandro with a head kick at Bellator 48. The series also highlighted significant matchups such as Cole Konrad’s non-title victory over Paul Buentello, and Seth Petruzelli’s knockout of former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez, both occurring at Bellator 48.

• Tournament Winner:

Division	Champion	Finalist	Event
Featherweight	Pat Curran	Marlon Sandro	Bellator 48

Season Five: Viacom Acquisition Era

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Five (September 10, 2011 – November 26, 2011)

Season Five was broadcast on MTV2 and in high definition via Epix, with preliminary fights streamed on Spike.com and Bellator's official Facebook. This season featured tournaments in bantamweight, welterweight, middleweight, and heavyweight divisions. Eduardo Dantas captured the bantamweight tournament title at Bellator 59. Douglas Lima earned the welterweight championship by knocking out Ben Saunders during Bellator 57, while Alexander Shlemenko secured the middleweight crown at the same event. The heavyweight final between Eric Prindle and Thiago Santos ended as a no contest due to an accidental groin strike; Santos subsequently failed to make weight for their rematch, resulting in Prindle being awarded the tournament victory by default.

On October 26, 2011, Viacom acquired a controlling interest in Bellator. Its subsidiary Paramount Network (known then as Spike TV) began airing live events starting in 2013. Additionally, Bellator partnered with FremantleMedia to expand internationally. A standout bout from Season Five was the lightweight title fight at Bellator 58, where Michael Chandler submitted Eddie Alvarez in the fourth round in a match widely regarded as one of the year's finest.

Other significant highlights included Douglas Lima’s knockout of Chris Lozano at Bellator 53, Eric Prindle’s stoppage of Ron Sparks at Bellator 56, Vitor Vianna’s knockout of Bryan Baker during Bellator 54, along with knockout victories by Alexis Vila and Eduardo Dantas at Bellator 51.

• Tournament Champions:

Division	Champion	Finalist	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

Season Six

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Six (March 9, 2012 – August 24, 2012)

The sixth season commenced on March 9, 2012, at Bellator 60, where Pat Curran claimed the Bellator Featherweight Championship by overcoming Joe Warren. Notable title defenses during this season included Ben Askren maintaining his Welterweight belt against Douglas Lima at Bellator 64, Eduardo Dantas seizing the Bantamweight Championship from Zach Makovsky at Bellator 65, and Cole Konrad successfully defending the Heavyweight title against Eric Prindle at Bellator 70.

• Tournament Champions:

Weight class	Champion	Finalist	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

Summer Series 2012

Bellator Fighting Championships: 2012 Summer Series (June 22, 2012 – August 24, 2012)

The 2012 Summer Series showcased a Light Heavyweight tournament designed to determine the next contender for Christian M'Pumbu's championship. This series was broadcast nationally on MTV2 across three events. Attila Végh captured the tournament crown by knocking out Travis Wiuff at Bellator 73. Additionally, the series featured significant bouts such as the third encounter between Marius Zaromskis and Waachiim Spiritwolf at Bellator 72. The conclusion of Season Six tournaments saw Karl Amoussou secure the Welterweight title and Marcos Galvao earn the Bantamweight championship. Pat Curran was slated to defend his Featherweight belt against Season Four Champion Patricio Friere at Bellator 73 but was forced to withdraw due to injury.

• Tournament Winner:

Weight class	Champion	Finalist	Event
Light Heavyweight	Attila Végh	Travis Wiuff	Bellator 73

Season Seven

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Seven (September 28, 2012 – December 14, 2012)

Kicking off on September 28, 2012, with Bellator 74, Season Seven featured tournaments in heavyweight, welterweight, lightweight, and featherweight divisions. These competitions highlighted rising stars and contributed to Bellator's expanding reach in the MMA market.

• Tournament Champions:

Weight class	Champion	Finalist	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

Season Eight

Bellator Fighting Championships: Season Eight (January 17, 2013 – April 4, 2013)

Season Eight commenced on January 17, 2013, at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, California, marking a main event broadcast on Spike TV. This season included tournaments across featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, and light heavyweight divisions.

• Tournament Champions:

Weight class	Champion	Finalist	Event
Light Heavyweight	Emanuel Newton	Mikhail Zayats	Bellator 94
Middleweight	Doug Marshall	Brett Cooper	Bellator 95
Welterweight	Douglas Lima	Ben Saunders	Bellator 100
Lightweight	David Rickels	Saad Awad	Bellator 94
Featherweight	Frodo Khasbulaev	Mike Richman	Bellator 95

Summer Series 2013

Bellator MMA: 2013 Summer Series (June 19, 2013 – July 31, 2013)

The 2013 Summer Series commenced on June 19, featuring three tournaments with four competitors each, replacing the traditional eight-man brackets. This modification enabled the promotion to host several tournaments within the condensed summer timeframe.

• Champions:

Weight class	Champion	Finalist	Event
Heavyweight	Vitaly Minakov	Ryan Martinez	Bellator 97
Light Heavyweight	Muhammed Lawal	Jacob Noe	Bellator 97
Bantamweight	Rafael Silva	Anthony Leone	Bellator 102

Season Nine

Bellator MMA: Season Nine (September 7, 2013 – November 22, 2013)

Beginning September 7, Season Nine incorporated bantamweight and heavyweight four-man tournaments alongside the usual eight-man brackets in other divisions.

• Tournament victors:

Weight class	Champion	Finalist	Event
Heavyweight	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	Joe Warren	Travis Marx	Bellator 107

Season Ten

Bellator MMA: Season Ten (February 28, 2014 – May 17, 2014)

Season Ten launched on February 28, showcasing middleweight and light heavyweight tournaments with four participants each, alongside standard eight-man formats in other divisions.

Weight class	Champion	Finalist	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

Summer Series 2014

Bellator MMA: 2014 Summer Series (June 6, 2014 – July 25, 2014)

The Summer Series of 2014 kicked off on June 6, highlighting an eight-man light heavyweight tournament along with the finals of Season Ten's tournaments.

Weight class	Champion	Finalist	Event
Light Heavyweight	Liam McGeary	Kelly Anundson	Bellator 124

Season Eleven

Bellator MMA: Season Eleven (September 5, 2014 – November 15, 2014)

Season Eleven marked the final tournament season for Bellator and was the last under the leadership of former CEO and Chairman Bjorn Rebney.

Videogame

Bellator: MMA Onslaught is a mixed martial arts fighting game launched in the United States as an affordable title for PS3 (July 3, 2012), Xbox 360, and Xbox One (November 12, 2015). Created by Kung Fu Factory, the PlayStation 3 edition was distributed by New 38th Floor Productions, while the Xbox versions were released by 345 Games. The roster includes only eight fighters from the featherweight and lightweight categories, such as Michael Chandler, Pat Curran, and the "Pitbull" siblings (Patricky and Patrício Freire). Gameplay options consist of One-on-One matches, tournament mode, online play, and a Create-A-Fighter feature. This title represents Bellator's only foray into video games and garnered generally mixed to unfavorable critiques.

See also

• Bellator Kickboxing
• List of Bellator MMA events
• List of Bellator MMA champions
• List of current Bellator MMA fighters
• List of Bellator MMA alumni