Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney. The promotion takes its name from bell?tor, the Latin word for "warrior". Bellator was considered the second largest MMA promotion in the United States, and one of the largest combat sport promotions in the world. Paramount Global (formerly Viacom) purchased majority ownership of Bellator from Rebney in 2011, with Paramount's television networks serving as the promotion's media broadcasters in the U.S.