Marking another first in promotion history, Bellator 131 will air on Viacom-owned 5* (aka ‘5 Star’) throughout the United Kingdom on Sun., Nov. 16 at 9 p.m. after UFC veterans Tito Ortiz and Stephan Bonnar meet to settle their score in the culmination of the promotion’s eleventh season, Bellator officials announced on Thursday.
“We are very pleased to have one of the UK’s most popular free-to-air networks airing one of the biggest fights of the year,” said Bellator President Scott Coker in a statement.
“With Tito Ortiz, Stephan Bonnar, Michael Chandler, Will Brooks, King Mo and Melvin Manhoef all featured on this card, our friends in the UK are in for an unforgettable, action-packed night. We look forward to making Bellator an MMA fixture for our fans in the UK.”
5* is part of the broader television network owned and operated under the ‘Channel 5’ banner in the UK. According to the channel’s website, 5* is targeted toward “attracting increasing numbers of younger viewers with a range of younger, faster, ruder programming.” A release issued by Bellator boasted that “nearly 16 million people tune into the young skewing channel” over the course of an average month.
Bellator 131 takes place at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California on Nov. 15, the same night as UFC 180 and WSOF 15. The event will air free on Spike TV in the United States. An updated fight card can be seen below.
Main Card (Spike TV, 9 p.m. ET)
Tito Ortiz vs. Stephan Bonnar
Will Brooks vs. Michael Chandler
Muhammed Lawal vs. Joe Vedepo
Melvin Manhoef vs. Joe Schilling
Nam Phan vs. Mike Richman
Preliminary Card (Spike.com, 7 p.m. ET)
Kyle Bolt vs. A.J. Matthews
Ron Henderson vs. Jonathan Santa Maria
Jordan Bailey vs. Alex Higley
Nick Garcia vs. Matthew Ramirez
Andy Murad vs. Bubba Pugh
Rolando Perez vs. Mark Vorgeas
Ian Butler vs. Joao Faria