CHICAGO, Ill. (February 12, 2010) – Bellator Fighting Championships will expand its reach internationally during its second and third seasons thanks to a new alliance with The Score Television Network, a preeminent source of sports programming in Canada.
Under the terms of the agreement, The Score will broadcast all 24 of Bellator’s upcoming Season 2 and 3 events and will assist with fighter-development efforts north of the border through the Score’s own Fight series. Specific programming information will be announced soon.
The announcement—which was made by Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney at a press event in Toronto on Thursday—came on the same day that Bellator added to its growing ranks of top Canadian fighters with the signing of former Canadian National Wrestling Champion Sean Pierson.
Bellator, in recent weeks, has also signed top Canadian fighters William Romero and Mike Ricci. Pierson, meanwhile, comes to Bellator in the midst of an impressive four-fight win streak, with all four wins coming during first-round stoppages. His most recent bout ended via KO after just 1:41. Until this week, he was heralded as one of Canada’s top unsigned fighters.
“Canada is a hot-bed for MMA, both in terms of fighter talent and fan support,” Rebney said. “Some of the greatest names in our sport hail from the Great White North as do some of the top up-and-coming prospects like Sean Pierson, William Romero and Mike Ricci. We are proud to partner with The Score to bring our exciting tournament style fights to millions of fans across Canada.”
Pierson, who won the Canadian Senior National Greco-Roman Championship and the Canadian University Freestyle Wrestling Championship, also has extensive training in Jiu-Jitsu and recently began training at the famed Grant Brothers MMA gym.
He is the sixth fighter to be announced as a competitor in Bellator’s much-anticipated eight-man welterweight tournament, which is shaping up as a true gauntlet of MMA talent. Other competitors include Ben Askren, Steve Carl, Dan Hornbuckle, Jacob McClintock and “Judo” Jim Wallhead. As a group, the six fighters boast an overall professional record of 64-12.
“Sean Pierson is yet another stellar addition to our 170 lbs. tournament, which is shaping up to be a great tournament,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Sean is a talented fighter with a great story, and an easy guy to like.”
Pierson, now 33 years old, was born and raised in Ontario, Canada, and now lives just outside Toronto with his wife, Julia, and 17-month-old son, Logan.
He has been fighting professionally on and off for nearly a decade while also working as a solutions manager for Dell. Over the past year, however, he has taken on MMA as “a second full-time job.”
“With a family and a mortgage, it’s been challenging at times to give my fighting career the attention that I’ve wanted to. I’ve actually tried to walk away from it a few times, but I keep getting drawn back in,” Pierson said. “I love my job with Dell, but it’s not my passion. Competing is my passion. I see Bellator as the opportunity of a lifetime to take things to the next level and prove myself against the best talent in the world. There’s some killer talent in the Bellator welterweight division, but I think that, with my experience competing at the highest levels, I’m going to be a war for anyone.”
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator.