Press Release – New York, NY (June 22, 2011) – Bellator Fighting Championships will present three action-packed LIVE events this summer on MTV2, including a featherweight tournament showcasing many of the top mixed martial arts fighters in the 145 lb. weight class. The Summer Series will air on the heels of a recently-completed successful 13-week first season on MTV2, which improved the network’s Saturday night timeslot in all key male demos.
“Bellator’s first season on MTV2 was a great success and helped to increase viewership among all the key male demos,” said Eric Conte, Senior Vice President of Production, Programming and Development for MTV2. “We are very excited to keep the momentum going with these three action-packed events this summer and look forward to the return of the weekly live fights this fall.”
“We experienced tremendous success with MTV2 in our last season, and can’t wait to get our Summer Series going, starting with Bellator 46 in Hollywood, Florida,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “We’ve got some absolutely stacked cards coming up this summer, and what is sure to be a spectacular fifth season is right around the corner.”
The Summer Series schedule on MTV2 includes the following:
Saturday, June 25 at 9:00pm ET/PT
Bellator’s Summer Series Featherweight Tournament will kick off from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Bellator 46 will feature four featherweight quarterfinal fights, as well as a talent-filled undercard. The eight-man competition is shaping up to be one of Bellator’s deepest tournaments to date, with Sengoku veteran and Bellator 42 winner Ronnie Mann, Brazilian knockout artist Marlon Sandro, Argentine submission finisher Nazareno Malegarie and Bellator Season 2 Lightweight Tournament Winner Pat Curran all scheduled to participate.
Saturday, July 23 at 9:00pm ET/PT
Bellator Fighting Championships will be traveling north of the border for the promotion’s first international event, debuting in Rama, Ontario, at the Casino Rama. Joe Warren, Bellator Featherweight World Champion and self-proclaimed “Baddest Man on the Planet,” takes on Season 4 Featherweight Tournament winner Patricio Pitbull. The fight card also includes the semifinals of the Bellator Featherweight Summer Series Tournament, with the winners moving onto the finals at Bellator 48 in August.
Saturday, August 20 at 9:00pm ET/PT
Originating from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn, this event will feature the finals of the Bellator Featherweight Summer Series Tournament.
Bellator’s Summer Series joins MTV2’s robust slate of new shows, as well as, a slew of returning series and music events that make the channel the definitive home to the bro-social movement this summer. Burnout: The Ultimate Drag Race Challenge, hosted by Carey Hart, kicks off a summer of new show premieres, including The Dub Magazine Project and the highly anticipated return of the groundbreaking music series, 120 Minutes. These new series and specials join an already stellar line-up of original male-focused series and specials on MTV2 that includes: The Dudesons, Funk Flex’s Full Throttle and Sucker Free Countdown.
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator.
About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.
About MTV2
MTV2 is a man’s best friend, available in nearly 80 million homes and with the highest concentration of males 12-24 and 12-34 on TV today. A vibrant mix of music, lifestyle and action sports programming, MTV2 has reflected the habits and behavior of young people since its launch in 1996. MTV2 is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.