Bellator MMA postpones June show, eyeing summer comeback
Bellator MMA officially announced the postponement of their June Chicago, IL, event due to the coronavirus pandemic but may be just a few months away from returning to action.
Bellator 244 was scheduled for Saturday, June 6th, at the Wintrust Arena, and was scheduled to be headlined by a rematch between Michael Chandler and Benson Henderson and a featherweight Grand Prix bout between A.J. McKee and Darrion Caldwell.
However, Bellator president Scott Coker told MMA Fighting Tuesday that they are looking at resuming action in either June or July on a ViacomCBS studio lot in Hollywood, CA, but with no fans and less than 50 essential personnel in attendance. ViacomCBS owns Bellator.
The current ban on combat sports events in California lasts through the end of May and Coker said he is anticipating new medical requirements from the state athletic commission due to the pandemic. The promotion has postponed four shows thus far, but had no scheduled shows past June.
The combat sports world is continuing to push the envelope to be the first sport to return back to action as the UFC is moving ahead with plans to hold the newly rechristened UFC 249 on May 9th from an undisclosed location.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.