There was big news in the combat sports world yesterday as Paramount confirmed that they will be shutting down Showtime Sports and Showtime Boxing, which has been a staple for the network.
Due to the ongoing rumours surrounding Bellator’s future sale, there was some speculation on whether the promotion’s next event, Bellator 301, would go ahead as planned or not. The event is scheduled to take place at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois, on Friday, November 17th.
Despite the uncertainty, it appears as though the event will still go ahead as planned. Canadian MMA journalist Ariel Helwani tweeted that a source in the promotion that the event will still take place and it will serve as Bellator’s final event under the ownership of Viacom.
Helwani tweeted:
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Bellator 301 features plenty of notable names and is arguably a stronger card than Bellator 300, which was their big milestone event. The event will feature two title fights as well as a bantamweight grudge match and the second semi-final bout in the Bellator Lightweight World Grand Prix.
It will be interesting to see whether there will be a confirmed sale announcement in the coming weeks prior to the event or if an announcement will be made at the event itself regarding the promotion’s future.
Bellator 301 main card:
Main Event for Bellator welterweight championship: Yaroslav Amosov (c) vs. Jason Jackson
Co-Main Event for Bellator bantamweight championship: Sergio Pettis (c) vs. Patchy Mix (ic)
Raufeon Stots vs. Danny Sabatello 2 (Bantamweight bout)
A.J. McKee vs. Sidney Outlaw (Lightweight bout)
Patricky ‘Pitbull’ Freire vs. Alexandr Shabliy (Lightweight Grand Prix semi-final)
Photo credit: Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA – X)
