Bellator MMA is gearing up to kick off its 2021 campaign with a bang this Friday night (April 2) with Bellator 255 going down inside Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The event will feature a Featherweight title bout between division king, Patricio Freire, defending his belt against Emmanuel Sanchez. The bout will also serve as the last semi-final match in the 145 Grand Prix.
Just a few short months ago, Bellator announced it had signed a multi-year deal with SHOWTIME to air all of its events moving forward. Soon thereafter, Showtime offered a six-month deal for $4.99 a month. Now, Bellator is sweetening the pot for Friday’s event.
Per a press release, the promotion announced that Bellator 255: “Pitbull vs Sanchez 2” will also be available to view for free across several streaming services including SHOWTIME Sports’ and Bellator’s YouTube channels (here and here).
The main card, in addition to airing live on SHOWTIME for subscribers, will be available for free to millions across the United States on industry-leading streaming services Pluto TV, Hulu, YouTube and FuboTV, in addition to participating television providers Armstrong, Buckeye, Liberty, Optimum and Suddenlink without the need for a SHOWTIME subscription.
Get them hooked for free on the first one, up your clientele for the next one; not a bad business model.
In the co-main event of Bellator 255, Neiman Gracie will face off against Jason Jackson, while Usman Nurmagomedov makes his promotional debut against Mike Hamel. In Heavyweight action, Tyrell Fortune will rematch Jack May.
Bellator will hold two more events in consecutive weeks following Friday’s card with Bellator 256: “Bader vs Machida 2” going down on April 9 and Bellator 257: “Nemkov vs Davis 2” on April 16. Those, however, will be available exclusively with a subscription to SHOWTIME.
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