Bellator Fighting Championships Returns To Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino In 2010

CHICAGO (January 27, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships and Redline Media Group have formed a strategic business alliance that will bring four of Bellator’s nationally televised events – including its Season 2 and 3 premieres – to Hard Rock Live, an entertainment complex at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, during 2010.

Under the terms of this landmark agreement — which was completed in conjunction with Redline Media Group — Hard Rock Live will host the following Bellator events:

Bellator XIII (Season 2 Premiere), April 8, 2010;
Bellator XXII, (Season 2 Final Round Event), June 10, 2010;
Bellator XXV (Season 3 Premiere), Aug. 12, 2010; and
Bellator XXXVI (Season 3 Finale), Oct. 28, 2010.

In 2009, Bellator hosted its first-ever event on April 3rd at Hard Rock Live and then returned on June 19th for the Season 1 finale. Both events were hugely successful, drawing raucous, near-capacity crowds.

"We are thrilled to be returning to the Seminole Hard Rock during our second and third seasons," said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "As we discovered during our inaugural season, the Hard Rock Live is one of the finest, most state-of-the-art venues for MMA and the fan response was spectacular. We’re looking forward to bringing four world-class MMA events to South Florida and some of the country’s most devoted and die-hard MMA fans."

Cima Georgevich, CEO of Redline Media Group stated: "Redline Media Group is proud of its association with Bellator. We were delighted with the success that we experienced during last year’s events and we are sure that the fans will be equally excited to have Bellator back in South Florida four more times in 2010. Any true MMA fan knows that the fights were phenomenal, producing some of the most exciting submissions and knockouts of the year.

With the tremendous success that MMA has experienced internationally, we anticipate an overwhelming response here in South Florida, which has become a true hotbed, training destination and home to some of the world’s greatest fighters. Fight fans get ready, Bellator’s greatest hits and submissions return for 2010."

Each of the four Bellator events being held at the Hard Rock Live (as well as the 20 additional Bellator Season 2 and 3 events) will be distributed live in prime time to 92 million homes by FOX Sports Net and its regional sports network affiliates. In addition, top moments from each week’s live events will then be condensed into an action-packed 30-minute highlight show broadcast every successive Saturday night, late night, on NBC. A one-hour Saturday night highlight show will air nationwide in Spanish on Telemundo.

Bellator Fighting Championships’ nationally televised events feature a combination of tournament and non-tournament bouts. There will be four simultaneous tournaments taking place in each season in the featherweight (145 lbs.), lightweight (155 lbs.), welterweight (170 lbs.) and middleweight (185 lbs.) divisions. Winners of this year’s tournaments will be declared No. 1 contenders to Bellator’s current roster of champions.

Tickets to the Season Premiere of Bellator Fighting Championships at Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., will be available at Ticketmaster.com, beginning at 1p.m. ET on Friday, February 5, 2010. Additional event ticket sales will be announced at a later date.

For more information, please visit Bellator.com.