Bellator Takes Season 5 to Hi-Def with EPIX

EPIX, the premium cable channel owned by Viacom Inc., its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Lionsgate will simulcast MTV2’s live coverage of the new season of Bellator Fighting Championships live in high definition, beginning Saturday, Sept. 10 at 9:00 pm ET/PT.

Entering its second year as the cable television home of Bellator, MTV2 will televise all the action for the upcoming 12-week season featuring single elimination welterweight, middleweight, bantamweight, and heavyweight mixed-martial arts tournaments.

Bellator’s 5th season premieres with Bellator 49 from Caesar’s in Atlantic City, N.J., featuring four quarterfinal welterweight tournament bouts. Bellator showcases a unique format of world-class fighting with 12-week, eight-man tournaments featuring some of the most dynamic fighters in the world, including lightweight world champion Eddie Alvarez, middleweightchampion Hector Lombard, featherweight champion Joe Warren, welterweight champion Ben Askren, bantamweight champion Zack Makovsky, heavyweight champion Cole Konrad and Women’s 115-pound champion Zoila Frausto.

“EPIX is proud to partner with MTV2 and we look forward to providing mixed martial arts fans with exclusive live coverage of Bellator Fighting Championships,” said Mark Greenberg, president and CEO of EPIX. “Bellator Fighting Championships fits well with our strategy of establishing EPIX as the television home for great live event programming in HD.  We are confident that adding mixed martial arts events to our programming will enhance our brand and further build consumer interest in EPIX.”

“This is the perfect time and the perfect channel to introduce Bellator in high-definition,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “EPIX has fantastic programming, tremendous reach and I always find a great movie on their channel. I look forward to continuing our relationship with MTV2 and our new partnership with EPIX to bring the magic of HD to Bellator fans nationwide.”