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Bellator Fighting Championships today officially announced its launch and television partnership with ESPN Deportes, but the organization is making it very clear that its competition will, in no way, resemble your typical reality show.
In today's press release, BFC executives promise "a business model unique in the fight industry, yet followed in every other major sport."
BFC, which has opened offices in Los Angeles and Chicago, will feature a format in which title shots are awarded base strictly on advancing through the tournament -- and no other factors.
"We are implementing a tournament structure to determine champions and No. 1 challengers so that world-class fighters can control their destiny based on their performance," stated Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney, a former "Friday Night Fights" executive. "Simply put, at Bellator, fighters fight their way to the title."
The show, which debuts in April 2009, will feature 12 two-hour episodes that air on Saturday nights. The nationally televised events will feature a combination of tournament and non-tournament feature bouts.
Eight competitors will comprise each of Belator's four divisional tournaments. The weight classes included featherweight (145 pounds), lightweight (155), welterweight (170) and middleweight (185).
As Bellator fighters progress through the tournament, they earn substantially larger fight purses. Opening-round winners receive $25,000, semifinal-round winners receive $50,000, and finals winners receive $100,000. Each champion also gets $175,000. That's $350,000 in total for a champion who wins each round of the tournament.
As MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) previously repored, established MMA fighters already rumored for the project include WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho (16-1), former Cuban Olympic Judo competitor and Cage Fighting Championship middleweight champion Hector Lombard (17-2-1), highly ranked lightweight Eddie Alvarez (15-1) and World Victory Road/Strikeforce veteran Jorge Masvidal (13-5).
"The fans' connection to Bellator will be created through our fighters," Rebney stated. "That understanding will drive the promotion, publicity, marketing and advertising of Bellator's fighters, making them the centerpiece of what we do. On each telecast, leading up to tournament bouts, Bellator Fighting Championships will air back-stories on each fighter. We will use the simple-yet-powerful sports programming philosophy of combining elite competition with compelling feature pieces that tell the story of who these fighters are, where they're from and why they compete. MMA fighters have incredibly rich stories to tell, and we will bring these to MMA fans, allowing our audience to identify with who these warriors really are."
In today's press release, BFC executives promise "a business model unique in the fight industry, yet followed in every other major sport."
BFC, which has opened offices in Los Angeles and Chicago, will feature a format in which title shots are awarded base strictly on advancing through the tournament -- and no other factors.
"We are implementing a tournament structure to determine champions and No. 1 challengers so that world-class fighters can control their destiny based on their performance," stated Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney, a former "Friday Night Fights" executive. "Simply put, at Bellator, fighters fight their way to the title."
The show, which debuts in April 2009, will feature 12 two-hour episodes that air on Saturday nights. The nationally televised events will feature a combination of tournament and non-tournament feature bouts.
Eight competitors will comprise each of Belator's four divisional tournaments. The weight classes included featherweight (145 pounds), lightweight (155), welterweight (170) and middleweight (185).
As Bellator fighters progress through the tournament, they earn substantially larger fight purses. Opening-round winners receive $25,000, semifinal-round winners receive $50,000, and finals winners receive $100,000. Each champion also gets $175,000. That's $350,000 in total for a champion who wins each round of the tournament.
As MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) previously repored, established MMA fighters already rumored for the project include WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho (16-1), former Cuban Olympic Judo competitor and Cage Fighting Championship middleweight champion Hector Lombard (17-2-1), highly ranked lightweight Eddie Alvarez (15-1) and World Victory Road/Strikeforce veteran Jorge Masvidal (13-5).
"The fans' connection to Bellator will be created through our fighters," Rebney stated. "That understanding will drive the promotion, publicity, marketing and advertising of Bellator's fighters, making them the centerpiece of what we do. On each telecast, leading up to tournament bouts, Bellator Fighting Championships will air back-stories on each fighter. We will use the simple-yet-powerful sports programming philosophy of combining elite competition with compelling feature pieces that tell the story of who these fighters are, where they're from and why they compete. MMA fighters have incredibly rich stories to tell, and we will bring these to MMA fans, allowing our audience to identify with who these warriors really are."
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