Spike TV president confirms Bellator 120 did 100,000 pay-per-view buys

Bellator’s first pay-per-view effort reached a significant benchmark of success, according to Spike TV President Kevin Kay.

Kay today told MMAjunkie that Bellator 120's reported buyrate of 100,000 is “dead-on accurate,” putting the event above the reported figures for several previous non-UFC pay-per-view ventures, including Strikeforce and Elite XC, PRIDE, Bodog, and Affliction.

“I’m hesitant to answer, because … we haven’t done pay-per-views,” Kay said. “I’ll stand by that 100,000, though.”

Initial figures from the event, which took place May 17 and featured a light heavyweight grudge match between ex-UFC champ Quinton Jackson and Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, were reported around the 50,000 mark. In the following weeks, the number swelled to 100,000, though one industry titan shot down the figure.

Earlier this month, UFC President Dana White mocked now ex-Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney and said the buyrate figure was bogus.

“He didn’t know what the gate was (for Bellator 120),” White said. “If he didn’t know what his gate was, but he did 100,000 pay-per-view buys … the guy is a f—ing clown.”

Neither Bellator or the UFC are obligated to disclose exact pay-per-view figures, though unconfirmed reports frequently surface in the weeks following an event. The numbers often expand after an event as more time elapses and late buys are accounted.

The UFC has dominated the pay-TV market in MMA over the past eight years and has yet to be challenged by its competitors. In 2008, the now-defunct Affliction Entertainment reportedly hit the 100,000 mark, but went out of business one year later amid massive losses and a canceled third event.

Bellator’s PPV debut marked its second attempt to enter the space after this past fall’s Bellator 106 was shuttled to Spike TV after the injury of headliner Tito Ortiz.

Kay and Rebney’s recently appointed replacement, former Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, said it’s too early to determine whether a second pay-per-view targeted for October will proceed as planned.

Kay and Coker were part of a conference call today that announced Rebney’s replacement, former Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, who is taking over the day-to-day operations of Bellator and plans to realign the promotion around individual fights as opposed to tournaments.

For more on Bellator’s upcoming schedule, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.