OSN brings Bellator MMA ‘The Toughest Tournament in Sports' to the MENA region

Exclusively on OSN Sports HD

Dubai, UAE; February 24, 2014: Bellator MMA will now be available for the first time to the many passionate mixed martial arts fans across the region exclusively on OSN from March 1st, 2014.

Billed at the ‘Toughest Tournament in Sports’, Bellator MMA’s broadcast on OSN underlines the start of a significant multiyear partnership.

Televised to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 107 countries, Bellator MMA comprises a single-elimination format that awards the winner of each tournament a guaranteed world title fight against the current Bellator World Champion in the applicable weight class.

“OSN understands and has a passion for MMA and Bellator is growing fast and gaining fans around the globe. We are very excited about this partnership and look forward to growing Bellator in our region,” said OSN’s VP Sports & Production, Andy Warkman. “We have exciting plans for Bellator and MMA fans can look forward to exclusive content, local events and activations coming soon.”

Bellator MMA’s Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney’s philosophy was to create a combat sports business model that mirrored the real sports format followed by every other major sport. In Bellator MMA, fighters control their own destiny through their performance inside the cage and title shots are earned through a knockout tournament.

“OSN is an absolute force in the Middle East and Northern Africa, and as Bellator continues to expand into key regions worldwide, OSN was the ideal partner for our brand in 2014 and beyond,” Bjorn Rebney said. “From Algeria to Yemen, Bellator is now on the premier network for MMA across the MENA region, and we couldn’t be happier.”

Featuring fighters from across the globe including Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and Africa, Bellator showcases the world’s greatest MMA fighters.

OSN will exclusively broadcast 25 live events in 2014 alone as well as bring exclusive content such as fighter features, highlight shows and reality-based programming all available in HD and on-the-go via OSN Play on a variety of devices from laptops, to tablets and mobile devices.