Bellator MMA has been hit hard since the coronavirus outbreak took over the country earlier this year. Scott Coker – Bellator MMA President – has the option to run closed off events like the UFC; however, the President has stated in the past that he doesn’t feel comfortable having his fighters work during the current situation that’s going on.
Recently, the promotion was forced to cancel their Bellator 244 pay-per-view that would’ve saw a rematch between former UFC Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson and Bellator Lightweight World Champion Michael Chandler collide. The co-main event consisted of the Featherweight Grand Prix Semi-final between Darrion Caldwell and A.J. McKee.
While the next show isn’t scheduled until October, Coker told MMA Fighting that the promotion aims to restart in June or July with live events, should the coronavirus situation get better. The Bellator MMA President lists one of the Hollywood Studio lots as the potential place to hold the upcoming events, though nothing is official at the moment.
Despite being unable to air live events during the pandemic, Bellator MMA has been filling the void for fans by uploading free fights on their Youtube channel. The promotion also reached a deal with CBS Sports Network, which will re-air Bellator 192 and 194 this Saturday at 8pm Eastern Time.