Bellator announces Ortiz and Henderson at NASCAR event

Bellator announced that the company’s MMA Fight Series will take place at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 20^th and will feature Tito Ortiz and Dan Henderson signing autographs for fans.  Henderson’s last fought in the UFC this past October as he lost to Michael Bisping in a bout for the middleweight title.

Via Bellator press release:

Through Bellator MMA, along with longstanding partner Monster Energy, mixed martial arts will be included as a pre-race activation exclusively for fans in attendance. The lineup on Saturday will consist of four MMA bouts featuring some of the best regional up-and-coming talent, with the main event prospects in consideration to be signed to a multi-fight Bellator MMA contract.

Updated Monster Energy Bellator MMA Fight Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway Fight Card:

Heavyweight Main Event: Allen Crowder (7-2, Mebane, N.C.) vs. Robert Neal (4-2, Jefferson, Ga.)

Welterweight Bout: Jeremie Holloway (8-2, Charlotte, N.C) vs. Jacob McClintock (8-2, Charleston, S.C.)

Lightweight Bout: Mike Stevens (6-3, Winston-Salem, N.C) vs. Lashawn Alcocks (6-8, Wilmington, N.C.)

Light Heavyweight Bout: Allen Bose (5-0, Jacksonville, N.C.) vs. Chris Crawford (8-5, Durham, N.C)

Notably, the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race will air on FS1.  We will see if there is extra care taken to avoid Bellator signage during the telecast.

Payout Perspective:

Bellator attempted a similar collaboration with Monster Energy in 2014.  The belief is that MMA and NASCAR share the same demos.  The news comes after the Viacom-owned company apparently jumped the gun on a partnership with NASCAR last month.  The news that Henderson will make an appearance is interesting but makes sense since the retired UFC fighter has ties to Scott Coker and the company is known for having legends at its functions to do meet and greets.