The countdown to the demise of Strikeforce started earlier this year, and with each passing day the former No. 2 promotion in MMA is on its final lap of existence.
With the recent announcement of Bellator Fighting Championships being purchased by media giant Viacom (owner of such networks as MTV, Spike TV, VH1), the second biggest Mixed Martial Arts promotion in North America now has a comfortable seat at the major media table.
While Bellator won’t being airing on Spike TV till 2013, this is a huge opportunity for the fast-rising promotion to take a considerable chunk out of the UFC’s market share when it comes to airing fights on non-pay-per-view television.
With the UFC airing four quarterly specials a year on FOX beginning in 2012 and the No. 1 promotion in MMA pulling out all of the stops for their inaugural event starring heavyweight titans Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos, Bellator can really capitalize on filling the void left between quarters on a weekly basis.
One of the best aspects of the deal is that in 2013 Bellator will be able to call a place that is fully versed in producing high quality MMA programming home. For the past six years, Spike TV has served as a major contributor to the growth of not only the UFC but the sport of MMA as a whole.
Imagine witnessing Eddie Alvarez beat down his opponent in high definition (finally); picture the satisfaction which you will enjoy in knowing that you will be able to record Bellator programming with the peace of mind that it will air at the time that it says it will.
I don’t know about you, but it is honestly a great time to be an MMA fan.
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