Scott Coker announces executive team for new MMA promotion

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PARIS, FRANCE - MAY 09: Scott Coker addresses the media during the Bellator 296 press conference event inside Gustave Eiffel Lounge on May 9, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by José Prestes/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Scott Coker is back to stir things up. Last month, the long-time MMA promoter who once helmed Strikeforce and Bellator announced his return to the MMA promotion game, which is expected to launch next year. In the weeks since he first announced his return, Coker has added an executive team to his yet-to-be-named promotion, and now that that’s in place, Coker says the real work of building out this new promotion can begin. “Exact launch date, not yet. But we’re going to launch in January of ‘27,” Coker told Yahoo Sports. “… Since we’ve announced it, we’ve had inquiries with everybody. Keep in mind, when you talk about combat sports, there’s going to be revenue streams from all over the world for this product, not just here, because we’re going to travel and do fight all over the world. So, we’ve already had inquiries from some of my past partners in Bellator that were probably our biggest paying license holders, have reached out and said, ‘Hey, we want to have a conversation.’ “So, we’re talking to everybody, and now the ball begins. Because now we have our infrastructure — at least our top six, seven employees, executives on board, so now the growth begins.” Coker is one of the most successful promoters in MMA history, founding Strikeforce and growing it into a significant brand before selling the promotion to the UFC in 2011. He then took over Bellator in 2014 and helmed that promotion for a decade before it ultimately sold to PFL in 2024. And Coker said he intends to use similar principles of how he ran those promotions in the leadership of this new one. “Who are the next stars of the sport?” Coker said. “When I was promoting Strikeforce, I knew who the next stars were going to be. Bellator even. Because we always built from the ground up, and then we bought from the top down. I’ve used that formula for my whole fight career. So, we’re going to apply that same philosophy here. We’re going to build. We’re going to go mining for the next stars.” While finer details about the new promotion are still lacking, Coker did reveal they intend to hold 12 events in 2027, with each event featuring a mix of tournaments and superfights. “We’re going to have something for everyone,” Coker said. “Just keep an open mind. … We’re not going to be a tournament only. We’re going to put on great superfights.” Mostly, though, what Coker is focused on is bringing some new energy to an MMA landscape that he believes has gone a bit stale. “About a year and a half ago, I hired a business development guy to start writing out the plan,” Coker said. “And the plan really was, let’s just see if I want to do this? Can we get to a point where I think that this is something the community would like, that the community needs it? … “I feel like there’s a little bit of a funk in the MMA space right now, and I don’t know what it is. It’s not like I can say, ‘This is what it is.’ But I just feel it’s got a funk to it right now. So, let’s go stir it up. The thing with MVP, their show, hey, they’re stirring the pot. It gets people excited, it gets people to root for somebody. We’re going to do the same, and people are going to root for us, too. We’re gonna go stir it up. So, to me, I think the sport needs a little bit of shaking the cage. And it’s something we’re really good at.”

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CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 14: Bellator president Scott Coker speaks to the media at the Bellator 297 pre-fight press conference on June 14, 2023, at the Willis Tower Sky Deck in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Amy Kaplan/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Scott Coker’s unnamed new MMA promotion has a slew of new names added to the mix. On Tuesday, Coker announced via a press releast that six new executives would be joining the team for his return to the mixed martial arts promotional scene — which is expected to launch in 2027. Kevin Kay joins the team as Chief Content Officer, who developed programming for the likes of Viacom, Spike TV, and many others. Kay was a big part of launching The Ultimate Fighter, and bringing the UFC to Spike TV many years ago. Tom Fox serves as Chief Operating Officer after several years in leadership roles for Gatorade, Nike, and others, while Rich Chou is the new executive vice president of athlete relations. Chou has been a mainstay in MMA for years — working for the likes of Bellator, Strikeforce, Elite XC, and Rumble on the Rock during his long career in the sport. Rounding out the rest of the leadership team are Paulo Boccotti as executive vice president of European production and operation, executive vice president of media rights and business development Lawrence Stewart, as well as combat sports public relations veteran Chris DeBlasio, who holds the titles of executive vice president and global head of communications. The company was launched with $60 million in financing, with Creator Sports Capital leading the way. Additional announcements are expected soon.

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Scott Coker is back, and he’s bringing the ol’ Strikeforce gang with him for a new MMA promotion that will debut at the start of 2027. Those who have been around for a while will remember Coker as the man who brought MMA to California with Strikeforce’s huge Frank Shamrock vs. Cesar Gracie fight. Over […]