NAME: BELLATOR
FOUNDER: BJORN REBNEY
FOUNDED: 2008 [MMA]
HQ: NEWPORT BEACH, CA
PARENT COMPANY: VIACOM
WEBSITE: WWW.BELLATOR.COM
HISTORY:
Bellator is the largest tournament-based MMA organization in the world. Headquartered in Newport Beach, California, the company was formed in 2008 by Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. Bellator’s events are primarily structured around tournaments. The tournament winner is declared the number one contender in their respective weight class, and is awarded a check for $100,000 and a shot at the reigning Bellator champion.
Its live events and competitions have been shown internationally on TV Esporte Interativo, Space! Brazil and TruTV Brazil in Brazil, and recently on Viva (UK and Ireland) in the United Kingdom.
The organization has held eight seasons of tournaments the first being in April of 2009 and the latest one in January 2013. The organization has both male and female fighters. The men compete in Bantam (135 lbs), Feather (145 lbs), Light (155 lbs), Welter (170 lbs), Middle (185 lbs), Lightheavy (205 lbs), and Heavyweight Divisions (265 lbs). Women compete in 115 pounds, 125 pounds, 135 pounds, and 145 pounds divisions. Some rules of the tournament are slightly different to those of a non-tournament fight. Elbow strikes are illegal in the quarterfinal and semifinal tournament bouts due to the high probability of a cut occurring. Elbow strikes are legal in the finals. Though the final bout is a tournament championship, it is still three five-minute rounds since it is not a title fight.
The current rules for Bellator Fighting Championships were originally established by the New Jersey Athletic Control Board. The Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts that New Jersey established has been adopted in other states that regulate mixed martial arts, including Nevada, Louisiana, and California, and are the same as used by other mixed martial arts promotions in North America. Bellator’s rounds vary in length depending on whether a match is a championship fight or a non-championship fight. Championship fights are scheduled for five rounds while non-championship fights are scheduled for three rounds. All rounds are five minutes in length with a one minute rest period between rounds.
(SOURCE: WIKI)
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS 