Lost in the hoopla surrounding “UFC on FOX” is the fact Bellator is also holding a pretty big show of their own this Saturday.
The Viacom-backed company will host the finals of their Middleweight and Welterweight Tournaments on MTV2 at 9PM ET/PT, which goes head-on with the UFC’s primetime television debut. However, the Octagon’s event will air live across the nation and in some parts of the world.
“Bellator 57” will also offer up a free live stream of their preliminary bouts on Spike.com starting at 7PM ET/4PM PT. The UFC’s Facebook page will be doing the same with their prelims beginning at 4:45PM ET/1:45PM PT.
Former UFC star Ben Saunders (Pictured) headlines Bellator’s card against Douglas Lima. The winner not only pockets $100,000, but will also get next dibs at welterweight champ Ben Askren.
Clearly the UFC will attract many more eyeballs than their stateside counterparts, but Bellator is a decent Plan-B.
Here is the roster for Saturday’s other MMA event:
Preliminary Bouts
(Spike.com 7PM ET/4PM PT)
Shawn Levesque vs. Matt Van Buren
Mike Sledzion vs. Taylor Solomon
Eric Moon vs. Josh Shockley
Chuck Mady vs. Denis Puric
Alexandre Bezerra vs. Doug Evans
Main Bouts:
(MTV2 9PM ET/PT)
Chris Horodecki vs. Mike Corey
John Hawk vs. Roger Hollett
Middleweight Tournament Finals:
Alexander Shlemenko vs. Vitor Vianna
Welterweight Tournament Finals:
Ben Saunders vs. Douglas Lima