BBC3 enters the cage with live Bellator

The BBC and MMA competition Bellator have agreed a deal to continue airing the competition’s fights. 

Non-US events will be shown live on BBC3 and BBC iPlayer, while those in the US will only be on the latter. BBC Sport’s digital platforms will also showcase Bellator.

This continues the partnership through 2022, having run through 2021 and bringing Ryan Bader, AJ McKee, Gegard Mousasi, Cris “Cyborg”, Yaroslav Amosov and London’s own Michael “Venom” Page to screens in the UK.

Bellator will launch on BBC3 with a trio of European events, beginning with Mousasi and Austin Vanderford on the card at Dublin’s 3Arena on Friday, 25 February. This will be followed up by Bader against Cheick Kongo in Paris on Friday, 6 May, before the final bout sees Page attempt to become the second ever UK Bellator champion against Amosov in London on Friday, 13 May.

Head of Bellator MMA Europe, David Green, said: “We’re thrilled to be renewing our relationship with the BBC and to be on BBC Three. We’ve enjoyed an incredibly successful first year partnered with the broadcaster and we’re looking forward to reaching millions more UK homes as part of an exciting new channel. We’ve worked incredibly hard to bring live action from this amazing sport to as many people in the UK as possible, and this is yet another landmark step on that journey.”