Earlier tonight before the Bellator 142: Dynamite main card kicked off on Spike TV, Bellator CEO Scott Coker teased a big announcement to be revealed on the live broadcast of the show:
Get ready, because tonight at #DYNAMITE1, we’ll be making an announcement that will change the landscape of MMA
— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) September 20, 2015
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Well it’s since been revealed that the announcement is twofold. Former PRIDE head Nobuyuki Sakakibara is returning to the MMA business, and his new promotion will be on Spike TV. His main event fighter? Fedor Emelianenko. From the official press release:
Spike TV will celebrate New Year’s Eve with an MMA mega-event featuring mixed martial arts worldwide legend Fedor Emelianenko.
Emanating from Tokyo, Japan, the event marks the debut of a new global MMA promotion run by former Pride President Nobuyuki Sakakibara.
Bellator will partner with Mr. Sakakibara on the MMA extravaganza and will have fighters from its roster participating. The event will be broadcast to Spike’s 93 million homes in the United States.
Fedor’s opponent and further details on the event will be announced at a later date.
“We are thrilled to join forces with Nobuyuki Sakakibara and our partner Bellator President Scott Coker to give MMA fans a big reason to celebrate this New Year’s Eve – Fedor fighting FREE on Spike!” said Kevin Kay, Spike President.
Fedor walked down the ramp and the crowd exploded with joy after Lenne Hardt announced his name.
This doesn’t mean Fedor has signed with Bellator MMA, but that he’ll be on Spike TV. The card will air live in Japan but on tape delay on Spike. More details on his opponent, the name of the new promotion, and much more will be covered over the coming days.
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