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Longtime soccer announcer and the voice of M-1 Challenge events on HDNet Sean Wheelock has been tapped as the play by play announcer for the English-language broadcasts of Bellator Fighting Championships second season, according to a report from MMAJunkie.com.
Wheeler's call will come on the live Fox Sports Net broadcasts every Thursday beginning on April 8th. Bellator's first season was called by Jason Chambers of "Human Weapon" fame and ESPN.com's MMA Live analyst Jon Anik.
Wheelock's most high profile gigs in MMA came as the play by play voice for Affliction's second and final event "Day of Reckoning" in January of 2009 and on Pride 33: The Second Coming in February of 2007.
Bellator's second and third seasons air live on Fox Sports Net on Thursdays, with highlight shows airing on Telemundo and NBC on Saturday nights. No color commentator has been announced as of yet.
Penick's Analysis: This is a good choice for announcer. Wheelock has done a good job on the M-1 Challange broadcasts and was the most competent part of the Affliction show last January. He'll provide a strong and experienced voice for the Bellator broadcasts and I'm interested to see who gets brought in for color commentary. Anik did a good job in the role last season and would be a welcome addition should they stick with him.
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