It took longer than the UFC and other MMA promotions, but Bellator returned in July from a five-month hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic and has been regularly hosting events ever since.

In total, Bellator will have put on 15 events in its return once Bellator 254 is in the books Dec. 10 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., which has become the promotion’s U.S. home base in 2020.

Bellator Schedule 2020

Up-to-date 2021 Bellator event schedules. Find out when the next Bellator event is and see specifics about individual fights. Buy tickets, browse fighter stats, get fight results, stream live events, and watch full fight videos and highlights.

With the year coming to an end, that got us thinking about what 2021 might look like for Bellator. And on Monday’s episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” Mike Bohn, “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” picked the matchups they would like to see – some outside the box – to start the new year.

You can check out those choices in the video above.

When it comes to watching fights, “Big” John McCarthy has seen more than most.

One of mixed martial arts’ original referees, McCarthy now serves as the color commentator for Bellator. In 2020, McCarthy sat on commentary for the majority of the promotion’s fights, and in a video recently released by Bellator, he ranks them.

Atop the list, a preliminary card banger from Bellator 254 reigned supreme. Shamil Nikaev and Kemran Lachinov went to war in one of the final Bellator fights of 2020. Their efforts didn’t go unrecognized as McCarthy touted their matchup as his favorite fight of the year.

Here’s “Big” John’s list:

10 – Bellator 238: Sergio Pettis vs. Alfred Khashakyan9 – Bellator 252: Jornel Lugo vs. Schyler Sootho8 – Bellator 246: Juan Archuleta vs. Patchy Mix7 – Bellator 253: Raufeon Stots vs. Keith Lee6 – Bellator 252: Aaron Pico vs. John de Jesus5 – Bellator 244: Vadim Nemkov vs. Ryan Bader4 – Bellator 243: Adam Borics vs. Mike Hamel3 – Bellator 253: A.J. McKee vs. Darrion Caldwell2 – Bellator 244: Sidney Outlaw vs. Adam Piccolotti1 – Bellator 254: Shamil Nikaev vs. Kemran Lachinov

Bellator Schedule 2020

Looking toward 2021, Bellator has not yet announced next year’s schedule. However, Bellator president Scott Coker recently told MMA Junkie the promotion is expecting a February return.

Where To Watch Bellator

Check out “Big” John’s top 10 Bellator fights of 2020 in the video above.