Bellator makes its highly anticipated return to action Friday with a not only a title fight and a key tournament fight – but a debut with a new broadcast partner.
Bellator 255 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. And for the first time, the promotion will air on the Showtime premium cable network, along with its streaming service.
But for Bellator 255, fans also can watch the entire card right here on MMA Junkie – both the prelims and the main card.
For the preliminary card at 6 p.m. ET, use the video player below. For the main card at 9 p.m., use the video player above.
Beyond the opportunity to watch the entire event for free on MMA Junkie, the Bellator 255 main card will air on Showtime for subscribers at 9 p.m. ET. In addition, it will be available on the Pluto TV, Hulu, YouTube and FuboTV streaming services. The Armstrong, Buckeye, Liberty, Optimum and Suddenlink cable providers also will offer the event without a Showtime subscription.
For future events, viewers can get a 30-day free trial to the Showtime streaming service, followed by a reduced monthly subscription cost of $4.99 per month for six months.
Bellator’s first events of 2021 will take place on three straight weeks starting with Bellator 255 on Friday, Bellator 256 on April 9 and Bellator 257 on April 16. Then Bellator 258 goes down May 7.
In Friday’s main event, lightweight and featherweight champion Patricio Freire (31-4 MMA, 19-4 BMMA) puts his 145-pound title on the line in a rematch against Emmanuel Sanchez (20-4 MMA, 12-3 BMMA). That fight also is a semifinal bout in Bellator’s ongoing featherweight tournament. The winner will move on to the final to meet A.J. McKee.
