Bloody Elbow, for MMA and UFC news

In the midst of a very ugly breakup with Eddie Alvarez, long the promotion's biggest star, the statements and actions of three fighters say a lot about where Bellator stands in the MMA world today.

UFC president Dana White announced the organization's strong support for efforts to keep wrestling in the Olympics on yesterday's UFC on Fox 7 conference call for media and challenged Viacom, the corporate owner of the UFC's rival promotion Bellator,

The New York Times has written a major feature article on the high-stakes battle between the UFC and Viacom to control mixed martial arts on American television.

Ten days ago, TNA announced that they had signed a multi-year contract extension with Spike TV. The negotiations weren't a formality, not due to any concern about TNA's ratings, but because of rumours that Eric Bischoff was trying to steal the programming contract for himself and set up a new promotion in opposition to WWE, mainly with TNA's talent.

Bellator Fighting Championships inked a deal with FremantleMedia Enterprises to negotiate international TV distribution rights.

Bellator signs global distribution deal with FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) to handle international TV distribution rights, as well as handle the licensing, digital and ancillary rights for the US and international markets.

The decision of Viacom, the world's 4th largest media conglomerate, to buy an ownership stake in Bellator Fighting Championships is a huge vote of confidence in the future of Mixed Martial Arts.

Viacom, the parent company of the MTV Networks, has purchased Bellator Fighting Championships and plans to run live shows in high definition on Spike TV in 2013.