UPDATED: NASCAR Denies Partnership With Bellator

UPDATED: Looks like Bellator spoke too soon on its partnership with NASCAR. NASCAR told ESPN that it does not have a partnership with the MMA company despite Bellator announcing the deal earlier on Monday.

ESPN said it has a revised press release from Bellator which said “Details to come soon. No further information has been revealed.

ORIGINAL: Bellator MMA has announced a new partnership that will see fights take place at select races during the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season. The fight cards will take place at four races throughout the current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, including both NASCAR’s championship and all-star race weekends.

Announced for the program are fights at the following races:

* Monster Energy All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 20
* Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, August 19
* Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, October 15
* Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, November 19

“I’m excited to announce Bellator’s partnership with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series,” said Bellator President Scott Coker. “Bellator and NASCAR fans are some of the most passionate in sports and we couldn’t be happier to bring MMA and motorsports together. Monster Energy has been a great partner of ours over the years and we’re excited about the opportunity to integrate our brand into another great sports property within the Monster Energy family. I want to thank Cody Dresser and Hans Molenkamp from Monster Energy for helping put this great partnership together, and I’m looking forward to introducing Bellator to a whole new fan base.”

“MMA is an exciting sport that appeals to a wide demographic,” said Mitch Covington Vice President of Sports Marketing. By partnering with Bellator to bring mixed martial arts to NASCAR we are able to bring a fresh dynamic to the racetrack and a taste of what Monster Energy is into, allowing us all to connect with a new fan base in relevant and meaningful ways to further elevate the series.”