Bellator MMA will be moving to CBS Sports on October 1 and with the move comes a few new locations for some upcoming live events. Bellator will hold their first event on the network in Milan, Italy then Paris, France before returning to their “Fight Sphere” in Mohegan Sun. With the announcement of moving to CBS Sports came the news of Cris “Cyborg” Justino’s next fight against title challenger, Arlene Blencowe.
Friday afternoon Scott Coker addressed the media about the future of Bellator MMA which looks to solve one of their long-standing issues of airing live events when the promotion goes overseas. The first event being broadcast live from Europe on CBS Sports will be Bellator 247. Welterweights Paul Daley and Derek Anderson will be the main event for Milan, Italy. It will air at 4 p.m. EST on their new home with the Paris event also airing live on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. EST.
The Paris event will feature a heavyweight main event rematch with Cheick Kongo vs. Tim Johnson as well as fan-favorite Michael “Venom” Page versus Ross Houston. Coker also confirmed reports of Cyborg’s next title fight being against Blencowe, scheduled for October 15, after their events in Milan, Italy, and Paris, France.
One interesting note about the move to CBS Sports is the possibility of mixing boxing and MMA, especially with Showtime Boxing who is sharing the Mohegan Sun location with Bellator. When asked if another hybrid event could be on deck in the future, Coker replied “Absolutely.” He added, “That’s something that’s a personal goal of mine and I’ve been talking with Stephen [Espinoza], in fact, I think Stephen is supporting it.”
While Bellator events are still being featured on DAZN currently, it would seem once that deal is over there will be more options to catch live Bellator events which is sure to help grow their audience in the future.
What are you expecting from Bellator MMA when they’re finally on CBS Sports?
