Bellator signs massive deal with HBO Max, full 2024 event schedule revealed

HBO Max will now be the exclusive home of Bellator MMA moving forward.

It’s been a hectic few months for the brand that used to be led by Scott Coker. Late last year, Bellator was sold by Viacom to the PFL and Donn Davis. Quickly, the likes of Coker left the company, but the company itself wasn’t going anywhere. After the purchase last year, Davis revealed plans to run both companies as separate entities.

However, there was still a major issue. Not long after the sale, it was revealed that Showtime was getting out of the combat sports game. Last year, they dropped Bellator, as well as all boxing, from the service. While Davis promised to find a broadcast partner, there was no news for months.

That was until today. Earlier today, Donn Davis and Bellator announced plans to begin streaming all of their content live on HBO Max. That will include all eight events scheduled for this year, with the first slated to go down this Friday. In Ireland, Corey Anderson and Karl Moore will battle for light-heavyweight gold, with the return of Patricio Pitbull in the co-main.

Furthermore, HBO Max will also have Bellator’s entire fight library available for streaming. That includes over 300 events, and a catalogue featuring legends such as Fedor Emelianenko, Rampage Jackson, and more. Along with that, the company will work to create shoulder programming for TruTV.

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Corey Anderson in Bellator

Bellator MMA announces exclusive streaming deal with HBO Max

“Following our historic acquisition of Bellator, Professional Fighters League is proud to partner with Warner Bros. Discovery for the highly anticipated Bellator Champions Series to stream exclusively on Max for fans across the United States, at no extra cost to subscribers when the global franchise launches on March 22.” PFL CEO Peter Murray was quoted in a press release earlier today. “We’re excited for audiences to tune into Bellator’s new home on Max for eight Bellator Championship series events in 2024 taking place in iconic cities around the globe, featuring world title fights and the biggest stars in combat sports.”

He continued, “There’s an incredible demand for premium, year-round MMA content from major media platforms and this is the latest milestone in PFL’s ambition to bring the sport’s best to audiences around the globe.”

In addition to Bellator’s deal with Max, the company also announced their full event schedule for 2024. It reads as:

• March 22nd, 1 PM ET –  Champions Series Belfast – The SSE Arena, Belfast, Ireland.
• May 17th –  Champions Series Paris – Accor Arena.
• June 22nd –  Champions Series Dublin – 3Arena.
• September 7th –  Champions Series San Diego – Perchanga Arena.
• September 14th –  Champions Series London – OVO Wembley.
• October 12th –  Champions Series Chicago – Wintrust Arena.
• November 16th – Champions Series Paris – ADIDAS Arena
• December 31 – Champions Series – TBD

What do you make of this MMA news? Will you watch the company’s first event on Max this Friday?