Photo credit to BoxingScene.com.
Showtime Targets Boxing And Bellator MMA Crossovers
As combat sports slowly crawls back to normalcy, Boxing And Bellator MMA Crossovers loom on the horizon. With Boxing and MMA fights set to go on the same night from the same location, why not combine them? This was seemingly the mindset of those helming ViacomCBS properties who will broadcast the combat sports collaboration. A sound stage in Studio City, California is the platform for these Mid-Summer shows. The goal is to run these events in Mid-July. Which had been previously said by Bellator MMA figurehead Scott Coker as a return month for Bellator.
Showtime president(sports and event programming) Stephen Espinoza discussed these plans in a recent interview with BoxingScene.com. “Crossover events are certainly one of the ideas Scott (Coker) and I have kicked around and brainstormed. Pairing them together programming-wise on the same night and start blending those audiences together with a hybrid event at some point,” Espinoza said.
Boxing And Bellator MMA Crossovers
Coker has been reporting to Espinoza since January of this year with a corporate merger being the catalyst for this management restructuring. Purportedly the two have been collaborating closely on this idea from the jump. Everything seems poised to finally come to fruition. The pair have a history of working together that dates back to the days where Scott Coker helmed Strikeforce.
“We had a lot of momentum (Strikeforce). It marked the end of an opportunity. We’re excited to have Bellator back. ViacomCBS is absolutely committed to it and wants to grow it.”, Espinoza stated, “They see the potential. With the merger, it made sense for me to have oversight of it simply because we can unite the two combat sports businesses into the portfolio, as well as my relationship with Scott. He’s an important part. We have a lot of plans. Obviously coronavirus interrupted a lot of them. We’re anxious to get back in business.”
