UFC News: UFC and Bellator pay-per-view dates clashing?
What's the story?
Bellator MMA has long been the Ultimate Fighting Championship's closest rival in the world of Mixed Martial Arts. While UFC has been ahead than Bellator in every way possible for a while, Bellator has never stopped biting at their heels. This rivalry might just be going up a notch soon.
Set to take place on the 26th of January in 2019, UFC 233, UFC's first major pay-per-view event of the year appears to be facing competition from their closest rival.
In case you didn't know...
UFC 233 is set to be an incredible event with UFC Bantamweight Champion TJ Dillashaw set to square off against UFC Flyweight Champion Henry Cejudo in a Champion vs. Champion fight. There are rumours that a win for Dillashaw could signal the very end for the UFC Flyweight Division and that Dillashaw has been paid a huge amount by the UFC specifically for that reason as he looks to pick up the Flyweight Title.
On the other side of things, Bellator 214 is one of the biggest shows of Bellator in recent times. It is set to host the finals of the Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament between Fedor Emelianenko and Ryan Bader, as well as having Gegard Mousasi defend his title against Rafael Lovato Junior.
The heart of the matter
When the fight card for Bellator 214 was announced, Ariel Helwani was quick to point out that the date for the event -- 26th January -- was clashing with the date that the UFC was set to host UFC 233. What's more, it would only be a few miles away from Bellator's Inglewood venue, at Anaheim.
Both the events being so close to each other geographically and on the same date means that fans will be choosing between them. This could be bad news for UFC, as this is one of Bellator's best cards in recent times. UFC will be looking to stack their card so as to meet their rivals and outsell them.
What's next?
A possible Robbie Lawler vs. Ben Askren bout could be one of the best things that UFC could do here, as well as add more premiere bouts to the card. As we head towards the end of the year, the card for UFC 233 will become more clear in the coming days.