Bellator has been the little engine that could of MMA for a while now. Since the consolidation of Strikeforce into the UFC, Bellator has been the only game in town when it comes to legitimate contender’s to the UFC, even if Bellator is a long ways away from being any sort of challenge to the UFC. Last night marked the end of their eighth season, this one on Spike TV for the first time, which can only be seen as a success.
Bellator closed out their season at Bellator 95 by pulling in a solid 901,000 viewers for the event headlined by Pat Curran proving that he is a bad, bad man. Bellator has seen its ups and downs this season, but has been pulling in steady numbers close to a million all season, which can only be seen as a success in a market where the UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter is not faring much better and is a much more established brand and show. [source]