Bellator Fighting Championships is the new kid on the MMA block. Founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebny, Bellator's tournaments are held in a circular cage and adhere, with little exception, to the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. The competition structure gives considerable monetary and prestige incentive to fighters to take risks and make exciting fights in the hopes of catapulting to renown as champion in their weight class (one of four, ranging from featherweight to middleweight). At present, both tournament format and championship titles are reserved for male contestants. Women's bouts have been featured at some Bellator events, including Kerry Vera's (spouse of UFC fighter Brandon Vera) professional debut at Bellator VII. In its first season (Bellator I through XII), the organization focused its efforts on capturing the attention of Hispanic fight enthusiasts. Shown on with time-delay on ESPN Deportes, the fights were presented by bilingual M.C.s and were notable for some impressive submissions and KOs (e.g. standout Toby Imada's inverted triangle choke v. Jorge Masvidal, Yahir Reyes's spinning backfist KO v. Estevan Payan, and Nick Pace's Flying Knee KO of Collin Tebo). Now approaching its second season, the organization aims for live broadcasts and has broadened its scope with the intention to capture more English-language viewers via Fox Sports Net and NBC, in addition to its telecasts on Telemundo and other International affiliates.
The current weight classes and respective (inaugural Bellator) title holders are:
Featherweight: 136 - 145 lbs. (61 - 66 kg)
Joe Soto (BFC X: June 5/09)
Lightweight: 146 - 155 lbs. (67 - 70 kg)
Eddie Alvarez (BFC XII: June 19/09)
Welterweight: 156 - 170 lbs. (71 - 77 kg)
Lyman Good (BFC XI: June 12/09)
Middleweight: 171 - 185 lbs. (78 - 84 kg)
Hector Lombard (BFC XII: June 19/09)
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