Friday 8 February 2019 13:39, UK
Attention mixed martial arts fans! Sky Sports will be the only place in the UK and Ireland to watch the US, London and Dublin shows of the Bellator MMA 2019 tour, starting later this month.
We kick off with the long-awaited welterweight showdown between British rivals Michael 'Venom' Page and Paul Daley at Bellator 216 on 16 February at the Mohegan Sun arena in the US - airing in the early hours of the 17th for UK & Ireland viewers. Then MMA returns to Dublin for Bellator 217, where Ireland's own James Gallagher takes on Steven Graham on 23 February.
This one-year deal with Bellator ensures that all US fights on the tour, as well those in London and Dublin, will air exclusively on Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Main Event in the UK and Ireland.
Georgie Faulkner, Head of Multi-Sports at Sky Sports, said: "We are delighted to be able to partner with Bellator to give our customers the chance to see some of the best, high-octane fighters in the world via their MMA 2019 tour."
Scott Coker, Bellator President, said: "This is a groundbreaking partnership for MMA in the UK and we are thrilled to finally bring LIVE Bellator events to our passionate fan-base there. We have worked diligently to find the right network in the UK and Sky Sports will undoubtedly deliver for our viewers. I'm excited that our fans overseas will now be able to be part of our events that take place around the globe and witness some of the best athletes in the sport today."
Sky Sports fight dates announced:
