Anthem Sports Lands Exclusive Distribution For Bellator MMA On Fight Network In Canada, Starting With Championship Series This Friday
Back in November of 2023, the Professional Fighters League acquired the Bellator MMA promotion, along with its fighters and some staff and office personnel.
Moments ago, Fight Network took to their social media Twitter account to hype the upcoming Bellator Championship Series
Full press release:
FIGHT NETWORK SECURES EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS TO PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE’S NEW BELLATOR CHAMPIONS SERIES, BECOMING THE CANADIAN RIGHTS HOLDER FOR ALL OF THE PROMOTION’S LIVE MMA EVENTS IN 2024
The Agreement Includes Eight Bellator Champions Series Events, as well as Access to Bellator’s Robust Archives Packed with Almost Two Decades of World-Class Bouts
Fight Network’s Bellator Champions Series Coverage Kicks Off Live From Belfast, Northern Ireland on Friday, March 22 at 1 P.M. ET
Two Canadians Compete in Marquee Main Card Bouts this Friday, With Jeremy Kennedy Challenging for a World Title and Aaron Jeffery Fighting for Middleweight No. 1 Contender Status
LOS ANGELES (March 20, 2024) – Fight Network, a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, Inc.,announced today a landmark agreement with global MMA promotion Professional Fighters League, the fastest-growing and most innovate sports league, making the Network the exclusive Canadian rights holder for all of its Bellator Champions Series live events throughout 2024.
Fight Network’s Canadian viewers will be able to enjoy all eight of the inaugural Bellator Champions Series events, kicking off on Friday, March 22, with a live broadcast from the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland at 1 p.m. ET.
The evening is headlined by a highly-anticipated Light Heavyweight World Title Bout, pitting Corey Andersonagainst Ireland’s Karl Moore. In the co-main event, Featherweight Champion Patricio Pitbull – record-holder for the most wins in Bellator history — puts his title on the line against Canada’s number one contender Jeremy Kennedy; while Fabian Edwardsgoes toe-to-toe with Canada’s Aaron Jeffery. Lastly, longtime rivals James Gallagher and Leandro Higoface off in a showdown between two top submission specialists.
As part of the agreement, Fight Network’s Canadian and international audience will have access to Bellator’s robust archives—boasting almost two decades of rare and classic bouts from some of the sport’s greatest icons and rising superstars. The agreement also includes new and classic Professional Fighter’s League (PFL) cut-down specials for all events from 2023, 2024, and 2025; as well as all shoulder programming for Bellator and PFL in 2024 and 2025.
“Bellator has long been one of the top global promotions in MMA, with a proud legacy built on iconic bouts and world-class athletes,” said Chad Midgley, VP of Content for Anthem.
“Following the historic acquisition of Bellator, we’re proud to partner with Fight Network which will become the exclusive home of the new Bellator Champions Series in Canada when the global franchise launches this Friday,” PFL CEO Peter Murray said. “In 2024, there will be eight highly anticipated Bellator Champions Series events taking place in iconic cities around the globe, featuring world title fights and the biggest stars in combat sports. There’s an incredible demand for premium, year-round MMA content from major media platforms and this is the latest milestone in PFL’s ambition to bring the sport’s best to audiences around the world.”
Fight Network’s Complete Bellator Champions Series Schedule is as
–Friday, March 22 – Bellator Champions Series Belfast– SSE Arena
–Friday, May 17 – Bellator Champions Series Paris – Accor Arena
–Saturday, June 22 – Bellator Champions Series Dublin – 3Arena
–Saturday, September 7 – Bellator Champions Series San Diego – Pechanga Arena
–Saturday, September 14 – Bellator Champions Series London – OVO Wembley
–Saturday, October 12 – Bellator Champions Series Chicago – Wintrust Arena
–Saturday, November 16 – Bellator Champions Series Paris – ADIDAS Arena
–Tuesday, December 31 – Bellator Champions Series – TBD
PFL is the only organization in MMA with the sports-season format, where individual fighters compete in a regular season, playoffs, and championship each year. The combined roster of PFL and Bellator boasts 30% of its fighters independently world-ranked in the top 25 of their respective weight-class. PFL has an expansive global vision for the sport and is building the “Champions League of MMA” with PFL Europe, PFL MENA, and more international leagues in development. PFL leads in technology and innovation, with its proprietary PFL SmartCage, powering fight analytics, real-time betting, AI scoring, and a next generation viewing experience. PFL League Season is primetime live on ESPN/ESPN+ in the U.S. and is broadcast and streamed in 150 countries with 20 premium media distribution partners.
ABOUT FIGHT NETWORK
Fight Network is the world’s premier network dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, including mixed martial arts, boxing, kickboxing, professional wrestling, traditional martial arts, and more. Fight Network is the home of TNA Wrestling, Bellator, Glory Kickboxing, KSW, Bare Knuckle Boxing, IJF Judo and more of the world’s top tier promotions. The channel is available on cable, satellite, and telco systems across the U.S., Canada, Europe and the Caribbean, and via FUBO on all connected devices including Roku and Apple TV devices across North America. Fight Network is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment Inc., a global multi-platform media company.
ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE
Professional Fighters League (PFL) is the #2 MMA company worldwide and the #1 fastest-growing sports league. PFL has five live fight franchises, offering year-round content: PFL League Season, PFL PPV Super Fights, PFL Challenger Series, PFL International Leagues, and Bellator Champions Series. Founded in 2018, PFL is backed by major blue-chip investors including SRJ, Ares, Knighthead, Luxor Capital, Waverley Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, and numerous NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS team owners. MMA is the growth sport business of this decade, with 650 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience demographic, and true global revenue streams.
Yesterday, PFL CEO Donn Davis revealed that Bellator MMA would land exclusively on the MAX streaming platform in the United States.
This left many fans wondering how they can watch Bellator MMA outside of the United States. Now, an answer to that has been revealed, at least for Canada.