Bellator prepares for upcoming season starting in March/April 2010

By Zach Arnold | January 5, 2010

The organization is getting ready for their multi-pronged television plan where their will be programming on Fox Sports Net, NBC, and Telemundo. This replaces their deal from last season on ESPN Deportes.

Bjorn Rebney, Bellator CEO, said the following yesterday publicly:

“Coming up next 145 lbs. We have four signed fighters so far who are a combined 38-2. First one will be announced tomorrow.”

In addition to the Featherweight division, the company will have tournaments to determine #1 challengers across multiple weight classes. In a recent interview on the Versus web site, Rebney laid out the company’s upcoming plans.

“There’s a long road for us to go on and the next 10 months with 24 events on FSN and NBC and Telemundo are going to tell a lot about how our tournament format plays out and where we’re going to next. My hope is it goes to great places.”

He defended the company’s use of a tournament format.

“Absolutely. You know, I think that’s… that was what was in my head five years ago. I used to watch the fighting sports and I used to say what it needs is objectivity, it needs a fighting organization where guys control their own destiny and that’s what I wanted to put into motion. That’s what makes us different from the UFC, Strikeforce, and WEC. It’s not fighters walking out of the mouth of the dragon or girls dancing on the pole or anything kind of a team concept. It’s exactly the same thing you see in all your favorite organizations but it’s up to the fighters.”

Expectations in 2010: “Spectacular match-ups, probably across, not probably, for sure across all weight divisions, very-evenly matched, a lot of great fighters. I don’t know if you’ve seen what’s been going on with our Welterweight division but Jacob McClintock, Ben Askren, Dan Hornbuckle, Jim Wallhead, we’re trying to put in the best of the best fighters out there in the world and put them all together and let them go at it. So, I mean, great fights every single night for 12 straight weeks and a #1 ranked challenger at the very end of the bout.”