Viacom, the parent company of Spike TV and MTV2, has purchased a majority stake in Bellator Fighting Championships and will begin airing its events on Spike in 2013, according to USA Today.
The move is meant to fill the void left after the UFC moves to Fox in January, but Spike’s contract with the UFC will prevent it from airing Bellator’s events next year.
Bellator is expected to keep its tournament format and Bjorn Rebney will remain in charge, but will now have more money to sign and keep fighters and should now garner a bigger audience on Spike.
Bellator currently airs on Saturdays on MTV2, which often puts it head-to-head with the UFC, and may change days for its upcoming seasons to find the best timeslot before moving to Spike.
