Tag: Scott Coker

Scott Coker clarifies comments about Bellator contacting Nate Diaz

Bellator president Scott Coker discovered Nate Diaz is still under an exclusive negotiation period with the UFC.

Bellator president [autotag]Scott Coker[/autotag] may have jumped the gun when speaking earlier this week about the promotion’s contact with [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag].

Ahead of Bellator 285, which took place at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, Coker was asked about the promotion’s interest in signing Nate Diaz, and whether or not conversations have already taken place with the 37-year-old fighter.

Diaz recently became a free agent after completing his contractual obligations with the UFC. His main event submission victory over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 was the final fight on his contract.

“Well, we are definitely talking to him,” Coker said earlier this week. “We’ve reached out and I know he’s probably talking to everybody. He’s, I think, in a pretty good situation. I know he wants to fight Jake Paul. Jake Paul’s fighting, you know, against Anderson Silva on Showtime pay-per-view, which is our home network, so there’s some synergies here.”

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After the conclusion of Bellator 285, Coker clarified his comments, explaining that the promotion contacted his management team, but nothing further has occurred due to the exclusive negotiation period Diaz is under until December.

“Well, here’s the thing, is that my guys reached out to the management and the management came back and said, ‘Look, he still has an exclusive negotiation period,'” Coker told reporters at the Bellator 285 post-event news conference. “So, let’s see how that plays out.”

UFC contracts typically have a three-month exclusive negotiation period that the promotion has not waived with one of its former biggest stars. While Diaz has expressed he wants to explore options outside of the UFC for the time being, legally no other negotiations can take place during that period.

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Scott Coker says Bellator is ‘in dialogue’ with Nate Diaz to join promotion

Nate Diaz has been contacted by Bellator, according to the promotion’s president.

Bellator has already been in contact with possibly the biggest name in MMA free agency.

According to Bellator president [autotag]Scott Coker[/autotag], the promotion has reached out and has engaged in talks with [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag], following his final UFC bout at UFC 279 in Las Vegas. After Diaz submitted Tony Ferguson in the fourth round of the pay-per-view main event, his contractual obligations with the UFC were completed and is free to pursue other opportunities.

According to Coker, who is in Dublin, Ireland for Bellator 285, the promotion was quick to reach out in hope of potentially securing his services.

“Well, we are definitely talking to him,” Coker told BBC Sport. “We’ve reached out and I know he’s probably talking to everybody. He’s, I think, in a pretty good situation. I know he wants to fight Jake Paul. Jake Paul’s fighting, you know, against Anderson Silva on Showtime pay-per-view, which is our home network, so there’s some synergies here.”

With many options available, Diaz did confirm he has an interest in boxing against Paul in the near future. Paul is currently scheduled to face former UFC champion Silva on Oct. 29 in Phoenix.

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Diaz fought 28 times under the UFC banner. He debuted with the promotion in 2007, and over the years, became one of the biggest names in the sport of MMA thanks to his personality and fighting style.

While Diaz may still be weighing his options, Coker hopes he will be able to pin down one of the biggest names available for Bellator.

“We’re just hoping that we could have some type of deal to at least have his MMA fights with Bellator,” Coker said. “We are in dialogue.”

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Video: Watch Bellator 277/279 pre-fight press conference live (2:45 p.m. ET)

Watch the Bellator 277/279 pre-fight press conference with AJ McKee, Patricio ‘Pitbull’, Vadim Nemkov, and Corey Anderson.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – You can watch today’s press conference from SAP Center in advance of Bellator 277 here on MMA Junkie starting at 2:45 p.m. ET.

Bellator president [autotag]Scott Coker[/autotag] hosts the event, which features the four competitors in the main and the co-main event of Friday’s card. Bellator featherweight champion [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] (18-0 MMA, 18-0 BMMA) and former champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (32-5 MMA, 20-5 BMMA) will take part in the press conference ahead of their main event championship rematch. The light heavyweight grand prix championship competitors will also be present, champion [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) and challenger [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] (16-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA).

Bellator 277 takes place on Friday at SAP Center. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

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Jake Paul teases a move to MMA with a video of just two kicks

Jake Paul teased a move to MMA with a video of just two kicks.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published at MMAJunkie.com.

At MMA Junkie, we hear about it every time there’s a story on the site about Jake Paul.

It doesn’t matter that he’s boxing high-level former MMA champions. In many eyes, Jake Paul content has no place on an MMA site.

Well, Paul may have found a way around the haters who say he has no business at MMA Junkie. Friday, the YouTube star-turned-boxer teased a move to MMA.

It was only three seconds and consisted of just two low kicks to a pad. But hey, it’s something – and he tagged Bellator and the PFL in his tweet.

“1st day training kicks,” Paul posted. “Doubted every step of the way.. but kick down the doors of the doubters. @bellatormma @pflmma”

Bellator president Scott Coker recently told MMA Junkie he’d welcome an opportunity to sign Paul. “This guy is just going to get better and better,” Coker said.

Paul has been feuding with UFC president Dana White in the wake of his brutal knockout of former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, which was his second win over him and was added to a KO resume that includes a starching of former Bellator and ONE champ Ben Askren.

His back-and-forth with White has had a lot to do with UFC fighter pay, but also included an accusation that White uses cocaine, after which White accused Paul of being on performance-enhancing drugs.

Who knows what Paul’s boxing future holds, let alone a possible move to MMA. But for now, the haters from the MMA fan base will have to endure one more Paul story – one that’s legit since he teased a shift to MMA.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

Jake Paul teases a move to MMA with a video of just two kicks

Jake Paul teased a move to MMA with a video of just two kicks.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published at MMAJunkie.com.

At MMA Junkie, we hear about it every time there’s a story on the site about Jake Paul.

It doesn’t matter that he’s boxing high-level former MMA champions. In many eyes, Jake Paul content has no place on an MMA site.

Well, Paul may have found a way around the haters who say he has no business at MMA Junkie. Friday, the YouTube star-turned-boxer teased a move to MMA.

It was only three seconds and consisted of just two low kicks to a pad. But hey, it’s something – and he tagged Bellator and the PFL in his tweet.

“1st day training kicks,” Paul posted. “Doubted every step of the way.. but kick down the doors of the doubters. @bellatormma @pflmma”

Bellator president Scott Coker recently told MMA Junkie he’d welcome an opportunity to sign Paul. “This guy is just going to get better and better,” Coker said.

Paul has been feuding with UFC president Dana White in the wake of his brutal knockout of former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, which was his second win over him and was added to a KO resume that includes a starching of former Bellator and ONE champ Ben Askren.

His back-and-forth with White has had a lot to do with UFC fighter pay, but also included an accusation that White uses cocaine, after which White accused Paul of being on performance-enhancing drugs.

Who knows what Paul’s boxing future holds, let alone a possible move to MMA. But for now, the haters from the MMA fan base will have to endure one more Paul story – one that’s legit since he teased a shift to MMA.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

Bellator boss would sign Jake Paul: ‘This guy is just going to get better and better’

Bellator boss Scott Coker said he’d gladly sign Jake Paul: “This guy is just going to get better and better.”

Editor’s note: This article was originally published at MMAJunkie.com.

Scott Coker is certainly open to doing business with Jake Paul.

While Paul continues to go back-and-forth with UFC president Dana White on fighter pay and the legitimacy of his wins, Bellator boss Coker has high praise for the YouTube star and his older brother Logan Paul for the noise they’ve been able to make in the boxing world.

Not only that, but Coker lauds their work ethic. Paul is coming off a highlight-reel knockout of former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in December, his most impressive win to date.

“I always said, ‘Look, these guys are real athletes, and they’re young, they work hard, they’re grinding it out,’” Coker told MMA Junkie. “They’re putting in the work. You can’t take that away from them, and they’re getting better and better and better. What you saw with Woodley, that’s a lot of hard work to get to that point.

“I’ve never seen Woodley get knocked out like that, right? And so, is it just boxing? Yes. So, I always said, ‘Look, man, don’t underestimate these guys,’ and this was like a year-and-a-half ago.”

Paul also expressed interest in an eventual transition to MMA, claiming that he’s been in touch with American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez, who has coached the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Daniel Cormier, Cain Velasquez and Luke Rockhold to UFC titles.

If Paul is serious about competing in MMA, Coker is ready to do business with both brothers.

“If you want to come into MMA, we would gladly do it,” Coker said. “Think about this: He’s not saying, ‘I’m going to go train here. I’m going to go train there.’ He’s going to come to one of the best gyms in the planet, where Khabib is, where Daniel Cormier is still training, where Cain Velasquez is teaching there now, and he’s going to go into an environment that he is going to flourish, and he has a wrestling background already.

“He has great striking, obviously. You’ve seen it, and so this guy is just going to get better and better and better. The days of him fighting basketball players or whatever, those days are over. He wants to do it. The only thing I will say is, my understanding is he wants to get 10 fights into boxing, and then after that come over to mixed martial arts.

“I know certain people feel a certain way, but I tell you, don’t underestimate these guys because when they have their minds made up, it just seems like that they’re able to fulfill their destiny, and so to me, it’s something that if they want to make it happen, we would love to do something with them and put them in some big fights and really test them out.”

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Bellator boss would sign Jake Paul: ‘This guy is just going to get better and better’

Bellator boss Scott Coker said he’d gladly sign Jake Paul: “This guy is just going to get better and better.”

Editor’s note: This article was originally published at MMAJunkie.com.

Scott Coker is certainly open to doing business with Jake Paul.

While Paul continues to go back-and-forth with UFC president Dana White on fighter pay and the legitimacy of his wins, Bellator boss Coker has high praise for the YouTube star and his older brother Logan Paul for the noise they’ve been able to make in the boxing world.

Not only that, but Coker lauds their work ethic. Paul is coming off a highlight-reel knockout of former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in December, his most impressive win to date.

“I always said, ‘Look, these guys are real athletes, and they’re young, they work hard, they’re grinding it out,’” Coker told MMA Junkie. “They’re putting in the work. You can’t take that away from them, and they’re getting better and better and better. What you saw with Woodley, that’s a lot of hard work to get to that point.

“I’ve never seen Woodley get knocked out like that, right? And so, is it just boxing? Yes. So, I always said, ‘Look, man, don’t underestimate these guys,’ and this was like a year-and-a-half ago.”

Paul also expressed interest in an eventual transition to MMA, claiming that he’s been in touch with American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez, who has coached the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Daniel Cormier, Cain Velasquez and Luke Rockhold to UFC titles.

If Paul is serious about competing in MMA, Coker is ready to do business with both brothers.

“If you want to come into MMA, we would gladly do it,” Coker said. “Think about this: He’s not saying, ‘I’m going to go train here. I’m going to go train there.’ He’s going to come to one of the best gyms in the planet, where Khabib is, where Daniel Cormier is still training, where Cain Velasquez is teaching there now, and he’s going to go into an environment that he is going to flourish, and he has a wrestling background already.

“He has great striking, obviously. You’ve seen it, and so this guy is just going to get better and better and better. The days of him fighting basketball players or whatever, those days are over. He wants to do it. The only thing I will say is, my understanding is he wants to get 10 fights into boxing, and then after that come over to mixed martial arts.

“I know certain people feel a certain way, but I tell you, don’t underestimate these guys because when they have their minds made up, it just seems like that they’re able to fulfill their destiny, and so to me, it’s something that if they want to make it happen, we would love to do something with them and put them in some big fights and really test them out.”

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Scott Coker: Bellator light heavyweight grand prix winner will be ‘best 205er on the planet’

Bellator president Scott Coker believes his promotion will crown the best light heavyweight in the world at the grand prix final.

PHOENIX – The finals of the Bellator light heavyweight grand prix is set and president [autotag]Scott Coker[/autotag] believes there’s more than just crowning the winner of the tournament on the line.

At Saturday’s Bellator 268, light heavyweight champion [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] and [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] punched their tickets to the finals with their semifinal victories.

In the co-main event, Anderson (16-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) made quick work of former Bellator champ Ryan Bader (28-6 MMA, 6-1 BMMA), finishing the fight via TKO in the first round in under a minute. In the main event, Nemkov (14-2 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) overcame some early adversity to put on a masterful and dominant championship performance, leading to a submission victory of Julius Anglickas (10-2 MMA, 3-1 BMMA) in the fourth round.

It was these performances from fighters at the top of the division that leads Coker to believe he has the best in the world under the Bellator banner.

“When he (Nemkov) got caught, I thought it was over,” Coker told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the post-fight news conference about the early moments in Nemkov’s fight. “It wasn’t just a little shot. He got caught with a big shot, and I thought, ‘Okay, this fight’s over.’ To his credit, he came back, he fought smart – when he got (Anglickas) cut, I think that’s what turned the tides and he saw the ability to hurt the opponent. When you’re the champ, you step up, and that’s what he did.”

Standing across from Nemkov in the grand prix final will be Anderson, a former UFC top contender who holds wins over both men competing in the upcoming title fight at UFC 267, champion Jan Blachowicz and challenger Glover Teixeira.

“It was a short fight, he (Bader) got caught, and once he got caught that was it,” Coker said about Anderson’s quick finish over Bader in the co-main event. “I think that Corey timed it perfectly. It’s something I hoped we’d get to some more rounds out of the fight, but this is MMA, things happen extremely quick, fast, and explosive. I think that’s why people mixed martial arts, because it is very explosive and that’s what you saw tonight with Corey.”

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Since joining Bellator in 2020, Anderson has now racked up three straight victories, finishing each of his opponents. He defeated Melvin Manhoef, Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov, and now Bader, all by TKO stoppage.

The champ Nemkov will be entering the grand prix finals on a nine-fight win streak, which includes five stoppage wins in Bellator. If he wins the upcoming finals bout, he will also secure the third defense of his light heavyweight title.

When asked if Coker thinks the best light heavyweight in the world will be determined in the grand prix final, he simply and confidently replied, “Absolutely.”

“This was a gauntlet of 205ers and whoever wins this tournament, to me, is the best 205er on the planet, period,” Coker continued.

Despite needing a replacement like Anglickas, the tournament was filled with names familiar to MMA fans such as Lyoto Machida, Phil Davis, and Anthony Johnson.

The date of the final bout between Anderson and Nemkov has yet to be announced, but the Bellator boss believes the winner will not only walk the Bellator light heavyweight champion and grand prix winner, but also the best in the weight class, regardless of promotion.

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Scott Coker: Fedor Emelianenko chose Tim Johnson, wanted top-ranked opponent over ‘legend’ fight

The decision for the matchup was specifically made by “The Last Emperor” himself, according to the Bellator president.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – When [autotag]Fedor Emelianenko[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tim Johnson[/autotag] was announced, the news of the booking was met with a harsh reception.

According to Bellator president Scott Coker, the Oct. 23 main event booked for Moscow, was paired at the choosing of Emelianenko (39-6 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) himself. Free agents ranging from Junior Dos Santos, Tito Ortiz, to Jake Hager were on the table, but Emelianenko wasn’t interested in a fight booked on name recognition alone.

Emelianenko wanted someone at the top of the Bellator rankings – and Johnson’s name was on the tip of his tongue. In June, Johnson (15-7 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) lost a decision to Emelianenko’s underling Valentin Moldavsky – a fight Emelianenko coached his fighter in.

“We started taking these names and Fedor was really thinking about it,” Coker told MMA Junkie on Thursday. “When he came here for the Moldavsky fight, he said to me, ‘If Moldavsky loses, I want to fight Tim Johnson.’ In his mind, I think he already had a focus on somebody that’s ranked – somebody that’s relevant in today’s fighting. Maybe he could’ve got that shot against (Ryan) Bader in that sense, right? He wanted to fight Tim Johnson if he won, but he lost. I think in his mind, he had this fight in his mind.

“He went home and thought about it. We gave him all the names and it was really up to him. To me, he deserves to be able to choose who he wants to be able to fight in his last couple of fights. He’s going to retire after he fights this fight and then he’s got one more and he’s going to retire. To me, he’s the greatest heavyweight of all time. He’s accomplished so much (and) done so much for the sport.”

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While Johnson doesn’t have the all-time status of an Alistair Overeem or Josh Barnett, the Bellator president thinks he’s a very game opponent. With a win over Johnson, Emelianenko could slide himself into position to rematch heavyweight champion Ryan Bader, or whoever holds the title at that time.

“I give him a lot of credit,” Coker said. “Tim Johnson is no joke. He beat Cheick Kongo. He knocked out Tyrell Fortune. (He went) five round with (Valentin) Moldavsky, who is a tough, tough guy. Now, he’s got to go fight Fedor. Fedor didn’t pick the easiest opponent. He could’ve picked somebody much easier – guys that are on losing streaks – or had a legit fight.

“I would’ve loved it because you get to see names, but Fedor wants to fight somebody in that top (tier). I think he still wants to fight for the belt and fight Bader again. That’s really what his goal is. We haven’t had that conversation. I just said, ‘OK, you want to fight Tim Johnson? We’ll have you fight Tim Johnson.’ Then, we’ll take it from there.”

Emelianenko, 44, has not competed since a quick December 2019 win over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson via punches. He’s 3-1 in his most recent four outings, with the lone loss coming by a 35-second knockout against Bader.

Meanwhile, Johnson competed against Moldavsky for the interim heavyweight title at Bellator 261 in June. The defeat snapped a three-fight winning streak for the former UFC fighter.

Bellator Moscow will take place at VTB Arena. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

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Yoel Romero receives medical clearance; Bellator zones in on promotional debut

Former UFC middleweight title challenger Yoel Romero was not allowed to compete this past May due to a medical issue.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] has been granted the medical clearance he needs to make his Bellator debut.

Bellator president Scott Coker revealed Romero (13-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), a former UFC middleweight title challenger is once again eligible to compete following a canceled May fight due to an eye issue.

“I think he is cleared now, so I think we’ll be looking to book him and have him fight before the end of the year,” Coker told MMA Junkie on Thursday. “I think he’s good to go on all cylinders moving forward. Give us another week or two and we’ll figure it out and put him on a card somewhere.”

Romero, 44, competed at middleweight in the UFC, but was scheduled to move to 205 pounds and fight Anthony Johnson in the Bellator grand prix earlier this year. Even though the tournament moved on without him, Romero will still compete at light heavyweight in Bellator, at least to start.

“Yes, he’s going to compete at 205,” Coker said. “I think he said he’s willing to cut, but right now, he’s at 205.”

No further details about an opponent, location, date or event were revealed, but MMA Junkie has learned the promotional debut could come as soon as September.

Romero enters Bellator on a three-fight losing skid, though the defeats all came to top-tier competition in UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, former title challenger Paulo Costa, and former champion Robert Whittaker.

Bellator returns Friday with Bellator 264, which takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.

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