Broadcaster Sean Wheelock gearing up for Bellator's move to Spike TV in 2013

Sean Wheelock understands the frustration of plenty of Bellator fans, and he's excited for the day it won't be much of an issue anymore.

Wheelock, Bellator Fighting Championships' play-by-play man, probably can't help but daydream about January, when the promotion shifts its broadcasts from MTV2 to Spike TV – giving the company a much larger reach. Bellator is scheduled to make the move to Spike after 2012 closes out.

"I get that a lot: 'Man, I love Bellator. I'd love to watch more of the shows, (but) I don't get MTV2 on my cable system,'" Wheelock recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "I feel for you, man. I relate. We're basically a Spike show right now. We're on Spike.com – but we're just not on Spike TV yet. I think we have the Spike look, the Spike feel. It's going to be pretty seamless when we move over to Spike starting this January."

Wheelock said he and commentating partner Jimmy Smith are in the second year of a three-year deal, so they'll be along for the ride when Bellator makes the transition from one cable partner to another. Both cable networks are owned by Viacom, which also owns a majority stake in Bellator after a deal in October 2011. Spike TV, the former cable broadcast partner of the UFC, still retains the rights to its UFC library through the end of 2012, which has limited Bellator's ability to move to the network until 2013.

Although MTV2 reaches approximately 80 million homes, according to Viacom, Spike reaches nearly 100 million – and has the added benefit of a long history of MMA programming with the UFC.

"I'm extremely excited just for the outreach of audience," Wheelock said. "I think we're going to do really big numbers. I think there's finally a legitimacy – that Bellator has made it. All we heard about in 2010 was, 'Bellator is great, (but) they're never going to survive.' And it was frustrating for us.

"The great thing about being owned by Viacom and going to Spike is that nobody is going to say that anymore. No one's going to doubt the legitimacy, if we're going to stay around. We are now a major player."

Wheelock pointed to Bellator's recent signing of former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal to back up some of that legitimacy the promotion is striving for. Lawal will compete in MMA for Bellator, but also will be a part of TNA Impact wrestling.

"King Mo coming in is huge for us," Wheelock said. "People discount just how good he is. He has one loss in his career. He was a dominant wrestler. In his pro debut, he beat Travis Wiuff. Travis Wiuff had already had, what, 70 fights at that point? He's a force. When you get past all of the outside issues, I think he's a top-five 205-pounder in the world, and he's going to have a chance to prove that."

Wheelock also said an upcoming referee training and MMA judging seminar he's hosting will do more than just help increase the knowledge base of prospective refs and judges. It will help him learn even more to bring to the broadcast booth – and understand a little about an area that is always a source of controversy in the sport.

I am going to take both courses just to have this (Assocation of Boxing Commissions) certification," Wheelock said. "It's going to add to my knowledge base. I think it's going to improve my skill sets as a commentator, but I also want to know more about judges."

For more information on the ABC seminars Wheelock is hosting, visit rulesofmma.com. The seminars, Aug. 4-5 in Kansas City, Kan., feature MMA referee Rob Hinds as the instructor. Hinds, with more than 4,000 MMA bouts on his resume, has reffed fights for Bellator, the UFC and other promotions.

"I want to know exactly what's in the mindset of a judge and what exactly are they looking for," Wheelock said "Are they wrong, or as we as the hardcore fans and the media wrong?"

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