How to watch Bellator 255: live stream from anywhere
Patricio Pitbull vs Emmanuel Sanchez rematch tops the bill
Bellator 255 marks a big night for the MMA promotion with a tasty bill coupled with what looks set to be its widest ever audience thanks to some changes in broadcasters around the world. Here's how to find a Bellator 255 live stream and watch Patricio Pitbull vs Emmanuel Sanchez online for free, plus the start time and much more.
Date: Friday, April 2
Main card: 9pm ET / 6pm PT / 2am BST (Sat) / 12pm AEDT (Sat)
Venue: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut, USA
Free live streams: Showtime trial (US) / BBC iPlayer (UK) / 10 Play (AUS)
Watch anywhere: try the No. 1 rated VPN 100% risk-free
Widely seen as UFC's closest mixed martial arts promotion rival, Bellator fights previously aired on CBS Sports Network in the States. But a new deal means future cards from tonight will air exclusively on the premium Showtime network, with all of main card being offered free to viewers as a sweetener. Tonight's bill will also mark the start of live coverage of Bellator on the BBC's free-to-air iPlayer streaming service in the UK.
Taking place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, Bellator 255's headline act is a Featherweight title fight that sees Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire defending his belt against Emmanuel Sanchez. The bill-topping bout will also act as the last semi-final match in Bellator's 145 Grand Prix.
It's a pretty stacked bill throughout, with the the co-main event a welterweight title contender face-off between Neiman Gracie and Jason Jackson. And further down the bill, Usman Nurmagomedov - cousin of UFC legend Khabib - makes his promotional debut against Mike Hamel.
Follow our guide below as we explain how to get a Patricio Pitbull vs Emmanuel Sanchez live stream and watch Bellator 255 online - plus key details like the expected Patricio Pitbull vs Emmanuel time, and the cheapest way to get a Bellator 255 live stream tonight.
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How to watch Bellator 255 from outside your country
Read on for specific information on who is showing a Bellator 255 live stream online and on TV in different countries including the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. But the first thing worth mentioning is that anyone who finds themselves abroad for the event can still watch via their usual home broadcaster or service by using a VPN.
It's a nifty bit of software that lets you access content from your home country and, crucially, means you and won't have to loiter around the internet's sketchier corners for a stream.
Watch a Bellator 255 live stream from anywhere
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Yep, ExpressVPN is the best all-round VPN for streaming - and perhaps best of all, it has a 30-day money back guarantee, plus 3-months FREE, when you subscribe for a year.
Once you've registered and downloaded the software, just follow the prompts to install it then select the location you want to relocate your IP address to - it really is that easy.
Live stream Bellator 255 in the US for free
The amazing news for MMA fans in the US is that they can watch the main Bellator 255 card in its entirety for free across a variety of platforms.
in addition to the full event airing live on premium channel Showtime - which will be the exclusive broadcaster of future Bellator events in the US - the main card will also be available for free across the United States on Showtime Sports’ and Bellator’s YouTube channels.
On top of that, streaming services Pluto TV and FuboTV, in addition to TV providers Armstrong, Buckeye, Liberty, Optimum and Suddenlink will also be showing Bellator 255's main card without the need for a Showtime subscription.
Prelims begin at 6pm ET / 3pm PT followed by the main card at 9pm ET / 6pm PT , with Patricio Pitbull and Emmanuel Sanchez estimated to make their ring walks at around 10.15pm ET / 7.15pm PT.
How to watch Bellator 255 in the UK for free
There's great news for MMA fans in the UK as well, with this event marking the start of a new era of live coverage of Bellator from free-to-air public service broadcaster the BBC.
The Beeb will be exclusively showing all Bellator events live in the UK throughout 2021, kicking off with all the action form Connecticut on Friday, which will be shown via the iPlayer streaming service.
As a national broadcaster, it doesn't cost a penny to stream if you're located in the UK (though you should possess a valid TV license).
Coverage begins at 11pm BST.
If you're out of the UK and want to watch the BBC's coverage like you would at home, you'll need a VPN to relocate your IP back to the UK as per our guide above.
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Can I watch a Bellator 255 live stream in Canada?
While there's been much talk of a new deal being struck for a Bellator broadcaster in Canada, it doesn't look like anything has been agreed in time for Friday's action.
The only alternative is to use one of our best VPN services as described above, set your location to a country on this page that is broadcasting and go from there.
Bellator 255 live stream: how to watch Patricio Pitbull vs Emmanuel Sanchez online in Australia for free
There's better new for folk Down Under. Much like the BBC, free-to-ar channel Network 10 have inked a new deal with Bellator and will be showing the MMA portions event for free in Australia throughout 2021, online via its 10 Play website and app.
Coverage of the main card begins at 12pm AEDT on Saturday afternoon.
Bellator 255 full card
Main card
Patricio Freire vs Emmanuel Sanchez
Neiman Gracie vs Jason Jackson
Tyrell Fortune vs Jack May
Mike Hamel vs Usman Nurmagomedov
Alejandra Lara vs Kana Watanabe
Preliminary card
Cee Jay Hamilton vs. Magomed Magomedov
Mukhamad Berkhamov vs. Herman Terrado
Mandel Nallo vs Ricardo Seixas
Fabio Aguiar vs Khalid Murtazaliev
Chris Gonzalez vs Roger Huerta
Jose Augusto vs Jonathan Wilson
Roman Faraldo vs Trevor Gudde
Branko Busick vs Jordan Newman
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Kevin Lynch is a London-born, Dublin-based writer and journalist. The author of Steve Jobs: A Biographic Portrait, Kevin is a regular feature writer for a number of tech sites and the former Technology Editor for the Daily Mirror. He has also served as editor of GuinnessWorldRecords.com and has been a member of the judging panel for the BAFTA British Academy Video Game Awards. Alongside reviewing the latest AV gear, smartphones and computers, Kevin also specialises in music tech and can often be found putting the latest DAWs, MIDI controllers and guitar modellers through their paces. Born within the sound of Bow Bells, Kevin is also a lifelong West Ham fan for his troubles.