from mmajunkie.com:
On the eve of its debut event, upstart promotion Bellator Fighting Championships has announced plans to make its broadcast available in an English-language format.
The 12 weekly episodes planned for Bellator's debut season will be available on the organization's official website.
ESPN.com's Jon Anik and MMA veteran and "Human Weapon" host Jason Chambers will call the action for English-speaking fans.
Previous announcements by the organization were noncommittal on possible English-language broadcast plans.
On a side note, Bellator's possible event later this month at the Bryce Jordan center has been postponed, according to Greg Sirb, executive director for the Pa. state athletic commission.
With a host of talented competitors taking part in Bellator's debut tournaments, including Eddie Alvarez, Jorge Masvidal, Hector Lombard, Wilson Reis and others, the limited access to the action provided by the organization's ESPN Deportes contract proved troublesome for some MMA fans. The positioning of the finalized product on Bellator.com, with an English-language broadcast team, will allow more viewer access to the organization's events.
The release didn't clarify when the episodes would be available on Bellator's website, and company officials were not immediately available for comment when contacted by MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). Anik did state on the most recent episode of ESPN.com's "MMA Live" that the episodes would be on Bellator.com "the following week" after each episode is taped.
Bellator Fighting Championships also announced veteran announcer George X and MMA veteran Manny Rodriguez will handle the Spanish-language commentary duties for ESPN Deportes. The nationally televised ESPN Deportes broadcast will air for 12 consecutive Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT beginning April 4.
The debut event, featuring Alvarez and Masvidal, will be taped Friday night at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. The organization will conduct tournaments in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and middleweight divisions.
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