Bellator Fights Getting Right Breaks, Big Hits on You Tube

By Beau Dure, USA TODAY

Bellator Fighting Championships founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney isn't too proud to admit he and his new promotion have been lucky in Season 1.

"Sometimes you're dumb, sometimes you're lucky, sometimes you're both," Rebney says. "We have been incredibly fortunate."

The ambitious program — 11 fight cards in 12 weeks — has gone off with few hitches, a couple of viral-video highlights and no injuries that would play havoc with Bellator's four tournaments of eight fighters each.

"I'm knocking on wood," Rebney says. "We have been freaky lucky in terms of injuries to date."

FIGHTING STANCES: Bellator schedule and video

Not everything has been perfect. Rebney hopes to have more time to promote fights next season.

He also had to move the May 29 fight card from Montreal to Louisiana because Quebec authorities, who have raised issues with other promoters, wouldn't approve a round cage. Rebney refused to alter a cage designed for expensive lighting gear and his tournament.

"If you're watching March Madness, and the first tournament level is played on a certain basketball court, you can't then change that basketball court and have the next level be in a different structure," Rebney says.

Bellator's fights, held on Fridays, are broadcast the next day in Spanish on ESPN Deportes. English broadcasts are available on Bellator's website the following Wednesday. Rebney is confident Bellator's second season will be on English-language TV as well.

The biggest hits for Bellator have been through the company's YouTube channel. Yahir Reyes' spinning knockout May 8 has been viewed more than 170,000 times. Toby Imada's semifinal win, in which he choked favorite Jorge Masvidal unconscious with his legs while upside-down on Masvidal's back, is approaching 250,000 views.

"I thought it was awesome," says Eddie Alvarez, who faces Imada in the lightweight final. "I've seen some crazy finishes, but that was definitely up there."

Along with the tournaments, Bellator has featured bouts for up-and-coming fighters, including women.

Kerry Vera, wife of UFC fighter Brandon Vera and a veteran of Oxygen's reality show Fight Girls, is happy to fight on national TV away from a show that she says put too much emphasis on "girls being catty and stupid."

She'll make her pro MMA debut on Friday's card, featuring the welterweight semifinals, in Chicago.

"I've done the TV thing before," Vera says. "When you're in the cage, you're not really worried about the cameras."

Next season, the tournament champions will fight non-title bouts in the early weeks and then await a chance to defend their titles against the next tournament winners.

Alvarez, fifth in USA TODAY/SB Nation's consensus rankings, is ready.

"Hell, yeah," Alvarez says. "I'll fight another tournament. I plan on building a future with them."