Bellator Fighting Championships Hope To Attract More Latinos To MMA

By Michael Lopez

There's no denying the power of Mixed Martial Arts. Within the past decade, the combat sport has surged in popularity, attracting millions of fans and billions of dollars in advertising revenue. And now, one organization is hoping to tap directly into the Hispanic segment with Latino fighters and Spanish broadcasts.

The Bellator Fighting Championships are already gathering quite a fanbase with live broadcasts on MTV 2. Also seen on ESPN Deportes, Telemundo, and right here on Tr3s, it's growing by leaps and bounds. But as far as the Latino push is concerned, CEO Bjorn Rebney claims that they're just getting started.

"We have consistently had a tremendous focus on Latino fight fans throughout this country and throughout the world," Rebney said. "We're going to keep pushing that because some of the greatest fight fans in the world are Hispanic consumers."

And, as evidenced by the Bellator fights, some of the greatest competitors happen to be Hispanic too. Cuban immigrant Héctor "Shango" Lombard is one of the organization's most promising fighters. At 5'9 and 185 pounds, he's a Middleweight force to be reckoned with. So far, Shango's trademarked judo moves have delivered 15 TKOs in the ring.

Another brutal Latino contender to keep your eye on is 26-year-old Eddie Alvarez. A Puerto-Rican American, Eddie currently holds the belt for Lightweight World Champion and has delivered some devastating blows with his MMA boxing techniques.

Though if you ask Bjorn, Eddie and Shango are just the tip of the Latino iceberg. So far, over 20 percent of Bellator's fighters are of Hispanic descent and Rebney says that they're constantly searching for new talent.

"We're constantly looking in South and Central America and Mexico for the next guy," Bjorn explained. "[Latinos] are an important part of the company. It’s part of who we are."

Are you a fan of the Bellator Fighting Championships? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Bellator, Bellator Fighting Championships, Bjorn Rebney, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Eddie Alvarez, Héctor “Shango” Lombard, MMA, Sports