Bellator MMA is launching on Showtime on Friday, April 2 with Bellator MMA 255: Pitbull vs. Sanchez 2 followed by two consecutive Friday nights of live championship MMA fight action. In anticipation of the launch, Showtime will air a collection of Bellator specials and fight replays across its distribution platforms to set the stage for the April 2 live event featuring the Bellator MMA Featherweight World Grand Prix Semifinal, as well as the beginning of the highly anticipated Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix set to begin on Friday, April 9 and Friday, April 16.
Starting this week, both Showtime subscribers and non-subscribers have access to an exclusive collection of fights that have paved the way for the compelling upcoming matchups in each of these premier mixed martial arts tournaments featuring Patricio “Pitbull”, Emmanuel Sanchez, AJ McKee, Vadim Nemkov, Ryan Bader and more.
In addition, Showtime Sports will present a pair of highlight-driven specials hosted by Morning Kombat’s Brian Campbell and Luke Thomas to preview the Pitbull vs. Sanchez featherweight semifinal and the start of the eight-man Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix tournament. Titled Road to Bellator MMA, both special programs will consist of highlights, analysis, and fight predictions, as Showtime Sports’ dynamic combat sports duo prepares viewers for the live debut of Bellator MMA on Showtime.
Road to Bellator MMA: Pitbull vs. Sanchez 2 will debut on Monday, March 22 while Road to Bellator MMA: Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix will premiere one week later on Monday, March 29 on the Showtime Sports and Bellator MMA YouTube channels. Both programs also will be available to subscribers on all Showtime On Demand platforms, on Showtime Extreme, as well as to Showtime distributors for their free-on-demand and online portals.
On Saturday, March 27, a replay of Bellator MMA 253: Caldwell vs. McKee will air on Showtime at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The four-fight card, including McKee’s iconic “McKee-otine” finish over former Bellator Bantamweight World Champion Darrion Caldwell that propelled the young star into the Featherweight World Grand Prix Final, will also replay on Showtime on Sunday, March 28 at 12 Midnight ET/PT, and again on Thursday, April 1 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Bellator 253, along with several past events which featured the world-class fighters in the upcoming tournaments, will be scheduled on Showtime Extreme weeknights at 10 p.m. ET/PT and are now available on Showtime On Demand platforms. Select events will be available for free to non-subscribers via Showtime distributor platforms and on Pluto TV’s Showtime Selects and Bellator MMA channels.
As part of the launch of Bellator MMA on Showtime, the network is offering viewers who are new to the Showtime streaming service a 30-day free trial, followed by a discounted monthly subscription fee of $4.99/month for the next six months. Viewers can sign up at SHO.com/BellatorMMA.
The following fight replays are scheduled for the weeks ahead as fans prepare for the launch of Bellator MMA on Showtime
- Bellator MMA 252: Pitbull vs. Carvalho – (Original air date 11/12/2020)
- Bellator MMA 251: Manhoef vs. Anderson – (Original air date 11/05/2020)
- Bellator MMA 245: Davis vs. Machida 2 – (Original air date 09/11/2020)
- Bellator MMA 244: Bader vs. Nemkov – (Original air date 08/21/2020)
- Bellator MMA 222: MacDonald vs. Gracie – (Original air date 06/14/2019)
- Bellator MMA 220: MacDonald vs. Fitch – (Original air date 04/27/2019)
- Bellator MMA 214: Fedor vs. Bader – (Original air date 01/26/2019)
- Bellator MMA 186: Bader vs. Vassell – (Original air date 11/03/2017)
Plus, two individual bouts from Bellator MMA 209: – (Original air date 11/16/2018)
- Bellator MMA: Davis vs Nemkov
- Bellator MMA: Pitbull vs. Sanchez
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