Tag: Scott Coker

Scott Coker: Bellator ‘a perfect fit’ for Francis Ngannou so he can box, but ‘it’s 50-50 at this point’

“I would say it’s 50-50 at this point.” 

SAN JOSE, Calif. – [autotag]Scott Coker[/autotag] isn’t sure if a deal with [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] will work out.

Coker expressed interest in signing free agent Ngannou (17-3) after he parted ways with the UFC, and thinks Bellator is a great fit for the former UFC heavyweight champion.

Ngannou made it clear that boxing is a priority for him, and although Coker knows Bellator could provide him that flexibility due to its partnership with Showtime, Coker says negotiations are yet to hit a serious point.

“My guys have been talking to Francis,” Coker told MMA Junkie and other reporters following Thursday’s Bellator 292 ceremonial weigh-ins. “I know they met. I know Stephen (Espinosa) met with him on (Showtime) Boxing. I’ve always said that I think it would be a perfect fit for him because he could do boxing, he could do MMA. But I don’t think that there’s anything close to a deal being presented back and forth. Let’s see what happens.”

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Coker, who has helped build the careers of prospects such as A.J. McKee from the ground up, admits he isn’t sure if it’s worth investing a large amount in Ngannou to compete for Bellator in MMA.

“But I’m not sure that we’re going to be in that business on the MMA side,” Coker added. “Maybe for the boxing side, it might work out. But to me, it’s like it has to be equitable for everybody, and that’s how I feel. We have a pretty robust purse amount every year and we can spread that around and we can take a lot of that purse and pay our guys and sign other fighters and keep building divisions. So to me, I would say it’s 50-50 at this point.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 292.

Scott Coker: Bellator grand prix winner can’t be denied as ‘the best lightweight’ in the world

If a belt and $1 million prize weren’t enough motivation, Scott Coker says the Bellator lightweight grand prix winner if No.1 in the world.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – If a championship belt and $1 million prize weren’t enough motivation for the eight-man field of the Bellator lightweight grand prix, company president [autotag]Scott Coker[/autotag] says the status of No. 1 in the world is on the line.

Bellator’s 155-pound tournament begins on Friday at Bellator 292 with a pair of quarterfinal bouts. In the main event, undefeated champion Usman Nurmagomedov (16-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) begins his quest to defend through the grand prix field when he meets former UFC and WEC titleholder Benson Henderson (30-11 MMA, 7-6 BMMA). And in the co-main event, Tofiq Musayev (19-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) takes on Alexandr Shabliy (22-3 MMA, 3-0 BMMA).

“This is going to be arguably the greatest lightweight tournament in the history of MMA,” Coker told MMA Junkie and other reporters following Thursday’s Bellator 292 ceremonial weigh-ins. “You guys saw gauntlet of fighters that are going to be in this tournament, and I think there are two or three dark horses that could upset these fighters. That is going to depend on how they perform under pressure. I’m really excited about this first night of fights.”

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The other pair of quarterfinals in the grand prix will see A.J. McKee vs. Patricky Freire, which does not have an official date, and Brent Primus vs. Mansour Barnaoui, which goes down at Bellator 296 on May 12.

Whomever emerges from the brackets are going to have to endure three fights scheduled for five rounds in order to complete the mission. That’s a significant task, and Coker thinks it would elevate the winner’s global ranking above any other organization’s champion.

“How could you deny that?” Coker said. “The guy is not going through one (or) two, he’s going through three fights in a one-year period of fighters of this quality, he’s got to be the best lightweight.”

The Bellator 292 main event is particularly compelling to Coker, he said. Nurmagomedov is listed as a significant betting favorite over the decorated Henderson, and although the odds point to it being a one-sided fight, Coker said he’s not ready to count out the underdog out.

“Benson’s been around a long time,” Coker said. “He’s still got it. He’s going to be scrappy. He’s going to be in Usman’s face and putting a lot of pressure on him, and we’ll see see he handles it. This tournament is super exciting, this might be best tournament we’ve hosted yet to do.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 292.

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Scott Coker wants Francis Ngannou to fight MMA for Bellator, box for Showtime after recent meeting

Bellator boss Scott Coker is optimistic about reaching a deal with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou after a recent meeting.

DUBLIN – Bellator boss [autotag]Scott Coker[/autotag] thinks things are trending in the right direction with former UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] after a recent meeting.

Ngannou (17-3) officially became a free agent earlier this year when he completed his UFC contract and opted not to sign a new deal with the organization that would’ve seen him defend the title against Jon Jones at UFC 285 next month. Since then, “The Predator” has been courted by every notable fight promotion out there.

Bellator is no exception, and company president Coker thinks he has an attractive option for Ngannou. In addition to promoting MMA, Bellator parent company Viacom also has Showtime boxing under its umbrella. Ngannou has made no secret that he wants to step in the ring at some point, and he’s already had his name associated with the likes of Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.

Coker is keen to do business with Ngannou, 36, and he’s optimistic a deal could come together after a recent sit down with Ngannou.

“From my perspective, then you talk about signing him to Bellator, we’re also talking about having a conversation with him and Stephen (Espinoza), which happened earlier this week, about getting into Showtime pay-per-view boxing, too,” Coker told MMA Junkie and other reporters Friday ahead of Bellator 291. “I think we have a great company to offer him both sides of the combat sports business that he would like to, which is fight MMA and also box. I think we’re a great fit. There’s ongoing discussions, so we’ll see what happens.”

Coker was asked about the possibility of promoting a two-sport series between Ngannou and Wilder, which the latter has publicly proposed. Coker said he’s interested in having a conversation with Wilder, but noted everything is currently a “fluid situation,” because there are seemingly many options on the table for Ngannou’s future.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 291.

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Scott Coker on Bellator’s CBS debut, Fedor’s retirement, Eblen’s first title defense, more

Scott Coker on Bellator’s debut on CBS, MMA legends’ tribute to Fedor Emelianenko, Johnny Eblen and much more.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – There’s a lot going on with Bellator these days.

The promotion is coming off one of the biggest events in its history, Bellator 290, which hosted two title fights and several other important matchups for the company. On top of that, Bellator 290 marked the company’s television debut on CBS.

With everything going on, Bellator president [autotag]Scott Coker[/autotag] spoke to media members following the event to reflect on Saturday’s card, as well as other things going on in the promotion.

See what Coker had to say about MMA legends’ tribute to [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag], [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag]’s first title defense, the Bellator-Globo partnership in Brazil, and more.

Scott Coker reacts to Bellator’s 5-0 win vs. Rizin FF: ‘This is the best roster we’ve ever had’

Scott Coker says Bellator’s 5-0 sweep over Rizin FF shows how competitive the promotion’s roster is.

Bellator boss [autotag]Scott Coker[/autotag] saw his team go unbeaten in their clash against Rizin FF on Saturday.

In a promotion vs. promotion event to close out 2022, Bellator fighters went 5-0, giving their American promotion a clean sweep at Saturday’s Rizin FF vs. Bellator event in Japan. The fights took place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, near Tokyo. The main card airs on Showtime via tape delay at 8 p.m. ET.

These bouts included A.J. McKee defeating Rizin FF lightweight champion Roberto de Souza in the main event of the card, Patricio Freire topping Kleber Koike Erbst in the co-main, Kyoji Horiguchi outpointing Hiromasa Ougikubo, Juan Archuleta beating Soo Chul Kim, and to open up the main card Gadzhi Rabadanov defeating Koji Takeda.

Coker is happy with the result, but feels that perfect record could’ve been denied in the final fight of the card.

“I always said my wish was to go 5-0, and I’m happy that my guys won, but to me, it was very competitive out there,” Coker told reporters at the post-fight press conference. “That last fight, de Souza when he was fighting A.J., there were a couple of times I thought he might get tapped.

“It was very stressful to watch that last fight. It was very back and forth. I’m glad A.J. did what he had to do to win. But anything can happen in a fight in MMA. It was an entertaining night of fights.”

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Although the record might indicate it was a one-sided affair, Coker thinks the Rizin FF fighters held their own. He also believes Bellator is the strongest its ever been talent wise and that a similar result could be expected against other MMA promotions.

“It just shows you how much the Rizin fighters to me have grown in the last five, six years,” Coker said. “I see a big growth spur. Keep in mind, when you talk about the Bellator athletes, and I’m not just saying this because you know it’s the company I run, but over the last six, seven years, this is the best roster we’ve ever had in the history of the company. …

“If you go all the way down the weight classes, we not just have fighters that can compete in the UFC, but we have fighters at three or four in each weight class that can compete against any company on the planet. We have a very strong, strong fighter base right now.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator.

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Scott Coker details two-year deal with RIZIN, plans for potential U.S. cross-promotion show in 2023

Bellator is no stranger to cross-promotion, but its new agreement with RIZIN has “never been done before,” according to Scott Coker.

CHICAGO – If a major promotion is willing and the broadcast deal makes sense, Bellator president Scott Coker is willing to cross-promote.

History has shown major MMA promotions generally don’t go head-to-head with one another, but Bellator has been an outlier. Since Coker took over the reigns in 2014, Coker has put on events with Glory Kickboxing and RIZIN.

Bellator-RIZIN cross-promotion cards have turned into an annual year-end event, but this year’s is a little different. Rather than one promotion lending the other a few fighters, the entire main card is head-to-head matchups between some of the promotion’s biggest and most talented stars.

“I’m like in my head, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?'” Coker told MMA Junkie and other reporters Thursday ahead of Bellator 288, as he spoke about his conversation with RIZIN boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara. “He’s like, ‘Yeah, it’s the bushido way. It’s the warrior way.’ I said, ‘OK.’ I said, ‘ I’m going to bring A.J. (McKee). I’m going to bring ‘Pitbull.’ I’m going to bring a bunch of killers, you know. Get ready.’ He’s like, ‘Bring it, bring it.’ The more I started learning about their fighters, I said, ‘Oh. This guy is pretty good. You better not underestimate him.’ I want to go 5-0 with Sakakibara – 5-0.”

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A.J. McKee, Patricio Freire, Juan Archuleta, Kyoji Horiguchi, and Gadzhi Rabadanov will represent Bellator, while Roberto de Souza, Kleber Koike Erbst, Soo Chul Kim, Hiromasa Ougikubo, and Koji Takeda will serve as their RIZIN opponents.

“If my guys take it lightly, I think they are going to have their hands full,” Coker said. “I think if they take it seriously and they really get down there (it’ll be different). I’m telling my guys, ‘Hey, we’ll pay for you to get there early. We’ll pay for your hotels to get there early. Don’t fly into this four days before the fight, like (when) they bring RIZIN fighters over right now. You’re going to be there 10 days early (or) 14. Whatever you need, we’re going to support you because I want to go win these fights. This is like league vs. league. It’s never been done before.”

The show, which takes place Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, marks the first of a two-show agreement between the promotions. The second leg will take place in 2023, potentially at a neutral location.

“Next year, it’ll be a Bellator fight,” Coker said. “It doesn’t have to be on New Year’s Eve. It can be any time. It’ll be a Bellator fight, fighting their top guys, their top two or three guys, maybe the top guys who are available. Then, they’ll fight in a cage. They’ll find under Bellator rules, not the Japanese rules. Then, we can bring our own undercard and that sort of thing.

“… I think Hawaii might be a good spot to do that. Meet halfway. We just haven’t talked about the logistics or timing. We wanted to get through our schedule and the year and then next year we can sit down and talk about that.”

Bellator returns Friday with Bellator 288, which takes place at Wintrust Arena with the main card on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie. For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 288.

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Scott Coker shocked by Anthony Johnson’s death: ‘It was devastating, it was a big loss’

Scott Coker devastated by Anthony Johnson’s death.

CHICAGO – [autotag]Scott Coker[/autotag] was in complete shock when he heard the unfortunate news of [autotag]Anthony Johnson[/autotag]’s death.

The Bellator president said it was tough news to process when he got the call that Johnson died this past Sunday from an autoimmune condition. Johnson, a former UFC title challenger, was signed to Bellator in the final chapter of his fighting career and was a marquee name for the promotion’s light heavyweight division.

Like most in the MMA community, Coker was saddened to hear the news.

“It was a shock,” Coker told reporters at the Bellator 288 weigh-ins on Thursday. “Let me tell you, that was not an easy phone call to get. I just love that guy. He was like a gentle giant. People that really got to know him, they all loved him.

“I was getting reports from the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times of Italy, France, anywhere where we were out there promoting fights, the local newspaper did a story on him. I’m starting to collect it, and it was fascinating. The guy was loved around the world. I think he was loved more than he knew, how much fans he had, how much impact he made.”

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Although Johnson only fought once under the Bellator banner before falling ill, he and Coker went years back. The Bellator president remembers meeting Johnson in his early fighting days.

“I met Anthony, I’d like to say when his career started,” Coker said. “He was at Cung Lee’s gym fighting at 170. I don’t even think he was in the UFC at that time. He was just in our community and I got to know him and follow his career and we stayed in touch, and when he became a free agent we said, ‘Oh, let’s get this guy because I think he’s a tremendous talent, and I’d really like to work with him.’

“Just getting to work with him in the last couple of years, you never think it’s going to have an ending like this so short. So it was a devastating day. But I’ll tell you what, we’re going to put on a great, kick-ass show for him tomorrow and attribute it to him. Bellator is going to present a big fight card, a great night of fights in honor of ‘Rumble’ tomorrow.”

Johnson was scheduled to fight in the semi-finals of the light heavyweight grand prix in October 2021, but he was forced out due to the illness. Coker knew Johnson was sick, but didn’t know it was life-threatening.

“It’s just unfortunate,” Coker said. “I knew he was in and out of the hospital. I have texts, me and him talking two months ago. He was like, ‘Hey, man. I’m getting ready. I’m out of the hospital. I want to fight.’ And I was like, ‘Hey, there’s more to life than just fighting. Take your time and when you’re ready, and the doctors clear you.’

“I had no idea he was this ill. I think he didn’t know, maybe, I don’t know. I’ll give the family some time and I’ll try to get some more information. But right now, this came as a shock to us and the whole company. Everybody loved that guy. Our entire staff really, really cared about him. It was devastating. It was a big loss.”

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Scott Coker updates Aaron Pico’s health after Bellator 286, ‘for sure’ wants Jeremy Kennedy rematch

Scott Coker wants to book a rematch between Aaron Pico and Jeremy Kennedy after injury halted their Bellator 286 bout.

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Bellator president [autotag]Scott Coker[/autotag] gave a positive update on [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag]’s health in the aftermath of a disappointing end at Bellator 286.

Pico (10-4 MMA, 10-4 BMMA) suffered a dislocated shoulder in the opening round of his featherweight fight with Jeremy Kennedy (18-3 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) on Saturday at Long Beach Arena, forcing the fight to be waved off by the cageside physician and resulting in an injury TKO loss.

Coker arrived at the post-fight press conference fearing the worst, but before he left his session with reporters he got an update directly from Pico about the state of his injury.

“It’s not broken,” Coker told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “He has to see a specialist Tuesday. Wants a rematch right away, and he’s in a good spirits.”

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Coker said he’s very much open to the idea of running back the fight between Pico and Kennedy in order to get a more conclusive end. However, he said it’s all going to come down to the timing once Pico’s recovery timeline becomes more clear.

“I’d like to run that one back for sure,” Coker said. “I’m sure Aaron would, too. But we’ll see. This puts Jeremy in a different position now. Now he can advance forward. Let’s see when he’s ready. He might be ready way before Aaron’s ready.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 286.

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Scott Coker ‘definitely interested’ in bringing ex-champ Eddie Alvarez back to Bellator

Scott Coker is “definitely interested in having a conversation” about bringing former champ Eddie Alvarez back to Bellator.

LOS ANGELES – [autotag]Scott Coker[/autotag] won’t dismiss the possibility of signing former Bellator champion [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag].

Alvarez (30-8 MMA, 9-1 BMMA), a former Bellator and UFC lightweight titleholder, recently entered free agency after a split from his latest home at ONE Championship. At 38 and in the twilight of his career, Alvarez wants to make the most of his final run in the sport.

That means leaving all options open, one of which includes a return to Bellator, where Alvarez headlined the organization’s inaugural event in April 2009 and fought until November 2013.

Current Bellator president Coker wasn’t with the company during Alvarez’s previous run, but he’s well aware of what the American has done in the sport. There’s no guarantees, but Coker is open to signing Alvarez and already has a meeting on the books with his management team at VaynerSports.

“I love Eddie’s style of fighting,” Coker told MMA Junkie on Friday. “The building we’re going to (for Bellator 286) is his fight with (Michael) Chandler back in the day. It’s been a long ride. He’s had a great career. I love our roster the way it sits now. We’d be interested in Eddie – we’re definitely interested in having a conversation with his manager or agent Lloyd (Pierson). I think we’re scheduled to talk next week sometime. There’s nothing that’s concrete or anything – all preliminary talks. If it makes sense for everybody then maybe we would consider it.”

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Alvarez’s split from Bellator, which set up his move to the UFC, back in 2013 was ugly. There was much drama, legal battles and more before the situation was eventually resolved. Coker helped facilitate his desired departure at the time, and Alvarez told “The MMA Hour” earlier this week that he’s open to a return.

“My messy divorce with Bellator was with Bjorn Rebney,” Alvarez said. “It wasn’t with Scott Coker. I was freed by Scott Coker. I was not held captive by Scott Coker. They fired Bjorn and then Scott Coker took head and I was freed. My issue was never with Bellator, the name. I had a spat with a CEO or the president and that president got fired.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 286.

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Scott Coker on all things Bellator 286: Patricio Freire vs. Adam Borics, A.J. McKee’s lightweight debut, Aaron Pico, more

Here are the highlights of Scott Coker’s pre-Bellator 286 scrum Friday in California.

LOS ANGELES – Bellator has a big weekend ahead.

The promotion is hosting one of its biggest events of the year, Bellator 286. The card takes place Saturday at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, Calif.

Ahead of the action, Bellator president [autotag]Scott Coker[/autotag] spoke to the media about an array of topics pertaining to the card. These include [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag]’s title defense against [autotag]Adam Borics[/autotag], [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag]’s move up to 155 pounds, a potential title shot to be earned for [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag], [autotag]Spike Carlyle[/autotag] missing weight, and much more.

Check out Coker’s thoughts on all things Bellator 286 below.