Following the neck-breaking news that Tito Ortiz was forced out of his matchup with Quinton Jackson in the main event of Bellator 106, the promotion's pay-per-view (PPV) debut, Bellator held a last minute conference call to address mixed martial arts (MMA) media.
The event is scheduled for Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, Calif., on Nov. 2, 2013, so there needed to be a quick decision made by the promotion.
With Ortiz off the card, Bellator and Viacom have decided to move Bellator 106 from PPV to Spike TV for free. The card will now be headlined by Michael Chandler and Eddie Alvarez' rematch for the Bellator Lightweight title. This bout will not affect Alvarez's contract with the promotion in the short-term.
Rebney also confirmed that "Rampage" will fight in November on another Bellator card against an opponent to be determined.
Bellator provided MMA Mania with the following statement from Rebney:
"I've said it since the day we announced the fight that Rampage vs. Tito was a fight I had wanted to see for years, and it's unfortunately something I'm going to have to continue to wait to see. After sitting down with our team and partners, the decision was obvious: Give the greatest MMA fans on earth this amazing show live and free on Spike. Our fans have been incredible to us and I'm thrilled to be able to give them this great card on the greatest network in MMA, Spike! Chandler vs. Alvarez II, Mo vs. Newton II and Curran vs. Strauss II are all unbelievable fights. This is going to be a great, great night."
While this wasn't the best news for Bellator, it probably is the best outcome. There wasn't that much interest in the PPV debut and the main event of "Rampage" vs. Ortiz left many wanting. With Chandler and Alvarez set as the main event, Spike TV is guaranteed to have the biggest event it has aired with Bellator.
To check out the latest Bellator 106: "Chandler vs. Alvarez 2" fight card and rumors click here.