As the promotion prepares for a return in 2010, Bellator Fighting Championships has announced that its second and third seasons will air live on Fox Sports Net and its affiliates. Highlight recaps of the events will air on Saturdays on NBC and in Spanish on the Telemundo network.

The deal will provide the promotion with access to viewers in over 82 million homes on Fox Sports Net. It will cover a total of 24 weeks of competition throughout 2010 as the promotion showcases the second and third seasons of its tournament-based format.

Bellator rose to prominence as one of the top promotions in the United States earlier this year with four eight-man tournaments that crowned champions in the featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and middleweight divisions.

The promotion benefited from a pair of viral videos that showcased what many felt were the Submission and Knockout of the Year, respectively.

At Bellator 5, virtual unknown Toby Imada came back from the brink of defeat against highly-regarded Jorge Masvidal and choked Masvidal unconscious with a flying inverted triangle choke. Within days, a video of the fight had been viewed nearly 200,000 times on YouTube.

Just one week later at Bellator 6, featherweight Yahir Reyes rebounded after a shaky first round against Estevan Payan and knocked him out with a vicious spinning back fist. A highlight package of the devastating knockout became another hit among fans online.

With champions Joe “The Hammer” Soto (featherweight), Eddie Alvarez (lightweight), Lyman Good (welterweight) and Hector “Shango” Lombard (middleweight), few could argue that Bellator possesses some of the top talents in the sport today.

Now looking to expand their audience, the television deal will allow Bellator to develop new stars in front of millions of people on live primetime television. It will also preserve the promotion’s relationship with its Spanish-speaking audience, who can follow along on the Telemundo network.

The second season is currently slated to begin on April 8th and will run for 12 consecutive weeks. The third season will start on August 12th and will also run for a dozen weeks.

As in the first season, the fighters’ fates will be in their own hands as they look to win their way to the finals.

The announcement is excellent for the long-term stability of Bellator and ensures that fans will be treated to more of the exciting fights that they have come to expect from season one.