Bellator MMA to stage three international events in 2016

The world's number-two mixed martial arts promotion is taking its show on the road.

Via release, Bellator announced Tuesday morning it will host three international events in 2016. The organization has staged events events outside of the U.S., all of them in Canada, but never beyond those two countries. The Sports Business Journal was the first to report the story.

The three places targeted for a show are London, England; Tel Aviv, Israel; and Italy. According to the release, the London event will air on Channel 5, which, like Bellator, is a Viacom property. Spike U.K. will also show the prelims for the London show live. The event's main card will air on Spike in the U.S. via tape delay. That card is set to be held at the O2 Arena.

"We are thrilled to bring the incredible excitement of hard-hitting Bellator action featuring some of the best athletes in the world to our new global partners in the UK, Israel, and Italy," said Bellator President Scott Coker. "The London event is especially encouraging as we will broadcast the main card in the UK on one of the country's most-distributed broadcast channels, Channel 5."

As for Israel, the release states Ego Total - another Viacom property - is broadcasting the event. Details regarding Italy's event were not immediately available.

Currently, there is no information on when these events will be held or which fighters they will feature.