Scott Coker is ready to return to MMA with a whole new promotion. While no name has yet to be revealed for the upcoming venture, the former Bellator and Strikeforce frontman has offered bit-by-bit details ahead of the 2027 launch.
Speaking in-studio Tuesday on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Coker revealed his new project will debut in January 2027. A broadcast deal is expected to be announced before the end of this year, and the goal is to have a roster of 150 fighters filling out at least 12 events for the inaugural year, before ideally moving to 24 events per year.
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“Think about the sport and how much revenue is coming into some of these companies,” Coker told Uncrowned. “It’s massive, but there’s something missing. I don’t even know what it is. Is it the talent? Is it the business structure? Is it the television structure? Is it [that athletes aren’t] getting promoted?
“The one thing that I can do to contribute is we have star-identified and star-built fighters from the ground up better than anybody else. We’re going to go back to doing that. We’re going to have scouts all over the world. We’re going to be looking for that next diamond in the rough. They’re out there, but they need to be discovered. We’re going to go sign top young talent as well, as part of this offering, and I’m excited about that because they’re going to come and they’re going to bring it.
“If you look at the track record, Daniel Cormier, when I signed him, he had no fights, and neither did Tyron Woodley or Luke Rockhold. There’s a list that goes on.”
Upon the venture’s initial announcement, Coker and his new executive staff highlighted a tournament element to the promotion. Tournaments have been integral to Coker’s career, predating his time in MMA, when he operated under the K-1 banner in kickboxing.
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Strikeforce and Bellator delivered some of the greatest tournaments in MMA history, though both at times struggled to make it work. Coker said that while a single-division tournament is in the works, the format won’t be the sole basis of the new promotion.
“We’re going to have something for everybody. Just have an open mind,” Coker said.
“We’re not going to be a tournament-only. We’re going to put on great superfights. There’s only going to be one tournament [in 2027].”
Getting a new MMA venture off the ground seems like more of a challenge today than ever before, with the UFC already having become the giant it is. Promotions like PFL have emerged as an alternative to the MMA leader, but have yet to replicate UFC’s success. Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions recently put on its first MMA event with a record-breaking viewership number on Netflix, which only highlights the importance of proper support.
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“We wrote a business plan, we had all the financials. We said, ‘OK, this is what we need to operate. This [initial investment money is] going to last at least five years, because we’re going to go out and make money,’” Coker said.
“There’s a learning curve in this business, and if you don’t know it, you’re going to be paying crazy money out because you don’t know it. I’ve been in the business for over four decades now. I know this business. [Other companies are] going through the learning curve, they’re learning the business. I’m sure they’re putting out fires everywhere, in different companies, because they’re burning through so much cash.”
Rich Chou (left) and Scott Coker are back at it with a new MMA venture.
Coker revealed that his target investment goal for his new MMA promotion was $60 million, which he began raising in November and hit by March. Even more potential investment money came his way, Coker said, but he declined.
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“We closed a deal, all the money came into the account, and two more offers came in,” Coker said. “True story. Another offer for $20 million, one of for $10 million, two for $5 million, and [they] wanted to come in so we could raise $100 million just like that. But we said no. I don’t want it. Because I don’t want to be diluted to where I don’t control the company. This is going to be my company, the way I want to run it. And yeah, we have a board of directors and some smart people, investors. This investor group is very, very, very impressive on the cap table. Some have a policy where they don’t reveal who they are. Some do. But the people who are involved, very strong and very connected to different things in the entertainment and financial worlds.
“So when the money got offered after we closed, I said, ‘No. I’m not doing it. I don’t want to be in a situation where I’m going to be losing control of this company.’ I don’t ever want that to happen. We turned away that $40 million.”
Since leaving Bellator when it was acquired by PFL in 2023, Coker has been working with former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez to host “Fight Night at the Tech” events in Coker’s home of San Jose, California.
