Maybe I’m just a sucker for slow motion and piano ballads (except for Coldplay. F*ck Coldplay.), but I must admit that the first advertisement for Bellator’s move to Spike TV in 2013 is a surprisingly well made and dare I say poignant bit of filmmaking coming from the network behind such subtle, highbrow programming as Manswers, 1000 Ways to Die, and those endless goddamn CSI reruns. I get it, Grissom, you’re f*cking smarter than everyone else and can figure out any mystery in twenty minutes, now please stop f*cking showboating SO I CAN TRY TO CATCH A GLIMPSE OF GAP TOOTH’S OR GINGER LADY’S TITS ALREADY!!
Anyway, back to the ad. Featuring such familiar faces as lightweight champion Michael Chandler, light heavyweight/TNA superstar King Mo Lawal, and former Strikeforce LHW champ Babalu Sobral among others, the 30 second clip succeeds in getting me amped up for a promotion I have literally been aware of for years now, so a kudos is in order to the gentlemen over at Spike.
In addition to Bellator’s arrival, Spike TV will also be broadcasting K-1 kickboxing events in the near future and has made public their plans to move forward with a TUF style reality show, so maybe they will finally erase the title of “worst channel in the history of the world” that they have been labeled for almost a month now.
Considering the abysmal ratings that both the FX prelims and The Ultimate Fighter have garnered so far, do you guys think that Spike TV and Bellator could actually become a legitimate threat to the UFC’s market down the line?