The Bellator Fighting Championship made their debut Friday April 3rd, 2009, at the Seminole Hard Rock Live Arena.
This was the first of twelve weekly live shows that will be nationally televised through ESPN Deportes. Unlike most MMA events, Bellator will be showcasing tournament featured bouts.
The fighter weight classes are Featherweight (145 lb), Lightweight (155 lb), Welterweight (170 lb), and Middleweight (185 lb). To win a Bellator Fighting Championship, a fighter must win a total of three fights over a three month period. It’s not a bad pay out for the winners. In round one, the winners will receive $25,000. In round two (Semifinals) winners will earn $50,000. In the finals the winners will earn $100,000.
During the intermission I got a chance to speak with Bellator founder Bjorn Rebney.
Bjorn Rebney
Rebney has been in and around the fight game business for twenty years. He was an agent and attorney for Oscar De La Hoya coming out of the Olympic games from 1994-1997. He also had a boxing promotion company with Sugar Ray Leonard for seven years. They did a lot of shows for ESPN 2 and they were the highest rated show on the network.
Rebney was always a fan of MMA. He would regularly buy tickets to go to the events. His boxing company did well and it gave him the ability to go into business with something he really enjoyed. Rebney and his partner worked for three years trying to get a deal together with ESPN. They also worked on putting all the pieces together, like the sponsors, the right venues and of course, the right television broadcast.
Once the Championships are over, Bellator Fighting Championship will go dark for a few months and prepare for season two.
If you missed out on attending the Bellator Fighting Championship, then you will have an opportunity to go to their next event on June 19, 2009 at the Seminole Hard Rock Live Arena in Hollywood FL.
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- Bjorn Rebney
Hector Feliciano is the founder and Editor of the Martial Arts Times. A fighting enthusiast, He looks forward to sharing his experiences with readers and interacting in the wonderful world of Martial Arts. 
