Bellator lands major TV deal

When I was a kid, Thursday nights were about watching The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers and Night Court. Now, my viewing habits will be MMA. Bellator Fighting Championships has struck a new two-season TV deal with FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo. Live events will air Thursday nights on FOX Sports Net affiliates, and half-hour highlights packages will run Saturday nights on both NBC and the Spanish-language Telemundo. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney made the announcement today on MMA Junkie Radio.

The deal kicks off with the 12-week season two of Bellator, starting April 8, and continues into season three, which begins August 12. The first 12-week season featured season-long tournaments in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and middleweight divisions, and each card was bolstered with additional non-tournament bouts. And because there was serious cash up for grabs (nearly $200,000 per winner) the promotion attracted solid names like Eddie Alvarez and Joe Soto.

With this deal and Strikeforce on CBS, I wonder if we’ll ever get that long talked about UFC TV deal.