Bellator's reality show to include fights, targeted for mid-2013 debut

TUNICA, Miss. – Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney is still holding his cards close to the chest when it comes to the fight promotion's upcoming reality show.

However, the executive did offer some hints to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) about what's in store.

For example, the show, which goes in production early next year (with a debut in the second or third quarter of 2013), will include fights.

Next year Bellator, of course, moves from its current home on MTV2 to the much bigger Spike TV, which was the primary cable-TV home of the UFC until this year. Spike.com has already begun streaming Bellator prelims, and when the UFC deal fully expires at year's end, the Bellator main cards will shift to Spike TV in 2013.

Officials previously announced that the reality show would be unscripted. However, it wasn't clear if there would be a competition element, especially since executives shot down the possibility of the show being an offshoot of the UFC's groundbreaking reality series, "The Ultimate Fighter."

However, it sounds like the show could be more similar to "TUF" than, say, event-preview shows or "Fight Factory," a new series that offers a inside look at the American Kickboxing Academy fight team.

"I think what you'll see is that it will be very honest to what makes Bellator Bellator," Rebney told MMAjunkie.com. "Competition ultimately will dictate how you move forward. You'll need to win.

"It'll be fight-centric. Every show will have a fight on it."

Officials previously announced "The Amazing Race" co-creator and Emmy winner Bertram van Munster will be heavily involved in the one-hour show as a co-producer.

"He's going to be carrying the load as in shooting and editing it," Rebney said. "We've got good people on board, and it'll be fight-centric. Every show will have a great fight on it."


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