LONG BEACH, Calif. — Bjorn Rebney won’t come out and definitively say that “Fight Master,” the Bellator reality series on Spike TV which recently concluded its first season, won’t be back for a second run.
But nor does he sound confident about the show’s future. Speaking to reporters at the Bellator 106 post-fight press conference at Long Beach Arena, Rebney hedged his bets about the show’s future.
“We’ve had a few different discussions about what would happen,” Rebney said. “If it’s going to come back, what it looks like if it comes back, what changes would be made, what wouldn’t be made.”
Rebney questioned the future of the entire genre, using it as an opportunity to take a swipe at “The Ultimate Fighter” 18’s ratings on FOX Sports 1.
“Reality fight TV is having its difficulties right now,” said Rebney. “You can see it in the UFC’s ratings, they’re having the lowest-rated TUF they’ve had in the history of the show. Reality TV on the fight front is not an easy nut to crack to draw huge viewership right now. But we’re getting good numbers on the live events. So we’ll see. I don’t know.”
Saturday’s fight card featured the finale of the show’s debut season, as veteran Joe Riggs decisioned Mike Bronzoulis to win the welterweight tournament.