© Esther Lin, MMA Fighting Michael “Venom” Page

Fight Facts: Bellator 206 By Jay Pettry Oct 2, 2018 Fight Facts is a breakdown of all of the interesting information and cage curiosities on every card, with some puns, references and portmanteaus. Bellator 206: Mousasi vs. MacDonald September 29, 2018 SAP Center, San Jose, California, United States Bellator to stream events live on BBC iPlayer in the U.K.

Bellator 206

Bellator is back on Showtime, but that’s not the only big broadcasting news the promotion had this week.

On Thursday, Bellator announced a partnership with the United Kingdom’s British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to air all of its upcoming 2021 events on the broadcaster’s BBC iPlayer streaming service.

Bellator joins forces with @BBCSport

UK fans will be able to stream EVERY Bellator MMA event live on @BBCiPlayer in 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣1️⃣! pic.twitter.com/3nntEaXPzH

— Bellator Europe (@Bellator_Europe) February 11, 2021

The deal includes all U.S. and European events, beginning with Bellator 255 on April 2 headlined by a rematch between featherweight champion Patricio Freire and Emmanuel Sanchez. Earlier this week, it was announced that Showtime will be the new home of Bellator in the U.S.

Bellator 206 Australian Open 2020

BBC’s iPlayer is a free streaming service that requires a BBC account. It is not available outside of the U.K.

This partnership marks the continuation of Bellator’s relationship with the BBC. In October, Bellator aired its first event on the network with Bellator Paris, which featured France’s Cheick Kongo fighting Timothy Johnson in the main event, as well as U.K. star Michael “Venom” Page. Bellator Paris was also the first major MMA event to take place in France since the country legalized the sport in 2020.

Previously, Bellator signed a one-year deal with Sky Sports to air events live in the U.K. and Ireland. That move—and now this new partnership with the BBC—ensured that the promotion would avoid any future Peppa Pig incidents.

Bellator 206 Australian

In September 2018, viewers watching Bellator on the U.K.’s Channel 5 saw their broadcast changed to the Peppa Pig cartoon before the beginning of the Bellator 206 middleweight championship main event between Gegard Mousasi and Rory MacDonald. The event took place in San Jose, Calif., which meant the headliner aired around 6 a.m. in the U.K., resulting in a switch to cartoons due to early morning broadcast restrictions regarding content suitable for young viewers.