Scott Coker is returning to the MMA promotion game in 2027.
According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, Coker has secured $60 million in financing to launch a new fight promotion, where he will serve as CEO and co-founder alongside Peter Levin of Griffin Gaming Partners.
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“I always knew I wanted to come back when the time was right, with the right vision and a carefully curated team. That time is now,” Coker told The Hollywood Reporter. “There is an incredible demand for a fresh, new global brand in MMA. This new league is about returning to what matters: the integrity of competition, respect for the athletes and sharing their remarkable journeys with the world. We are building something authentic, something that belongs to the athletes and to the fans who live and breathe this sport.”
The report states that more details about fight name of the league, the format, fighters signed and more are expected to be released in the near future.
Levin, who was one of the backers of the now-defunct Strikeforce organization that was sold to UFC in 2011, said he trusts Coker’s vision in running an organization that could eventually become a competitor to UFC.
“Scott is a generational operator in the world of combat sports,” Levin said. “He has proven time and again that he can scale a business globally and profitably. His ‘fighter-first’ orientation has earned him loyalty and admiration from MMA athletes around the globe and across generations. He’s a world-beater, and I’m looking forward, yet again, to embarking on this journey together.”
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Other investors named to be backing the unnamed new MMA league include Upper Deck; Steve Kaplan, owner of D.C. United and co-founder of Oaktree Capital; Swimmy Minami, founder of Visional and a limited partner of the New York Yankees; skateboarding legend Tony Hawk; former Fortress Investment Group vice-chairman Dean Dakolias; and others with ownership stakes in NFL and NBA franchises.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Scott Coker to launch new MMA league in 2027, secures financing
