Cant Be Global Fight League ?
Nows the time to take over the UFC.
Theyāve gotten complacent
Scott Coker is back, for some reason.
The former Strikeforce and Bellator boss is making his return to mixed martial arts (MMA) after scoring $60 million in financing ā and heās bringing a few familiar faces along for the ride, including former Viacom CFO Wade Davis, as well as former Spike TV head cheese Kevin Kay.
āI 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,ā Coker said in todayās release. āThere 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. Iāve spent nearly two years developing this concept, and Iām thankful to Peter, all of our investors and the team weāre putting together.ā
Coker will serve as CEO for the promotion, which has yet to reveal its official name or an exact date for its debut, (projected for early 2027). Joining Coker as co-founder is former Strikeforce investor and advisor Peter Levin of Griffin Gaming Partners, who will serve as Chairman of the Board.
āScott is a generational operator in the world of combat sports,ā said Levin. āHe has proven time and again that he can scale a business globally and profitably. His āfighter-firstā orientation has earned him loyalty and admiration from MMA athletes around the globe and across generations. Heās a world-beater, and Iām looking forward, yet again, to embarking on this journey together.ā
Coker was absorbed by UFC after the promotion acquired Strikeforce back in early 2011. He was later cut loose and eventually resurfaced in Bellator MMA, replacing the oft-maligned Bjorn Rebney and Bellator President Tim Danaher in June 2014. It was worth it just for the Spikeforce jokes.
Bellator ceased to exist after getting scooped up by PFL in late 2023.
āScott Coker is one of the few operators in combat sports who has built winning franchises at a global scale, and he has done it by putting athletes first,ā said Benjamin Grubbs, Co-Founder and Co-Managing Partner of Creator Sports Capital. āThe sport has reached a moment where a generation of world-class talent deserves a clear path to the top, and Scott has the experience, the relationships and the vision to deliver it. Weāre proud to lead this round and partner with Scott, Peter and this group of investors to build something the athletes and the fans deserve.ā
Coker is widely-recognized as the most fighter-friendly promoter in the industry but faces stiff competition from UFC and now MVP MMA in terms of available real estate. Thereās also the GFL clown show that continues to threaten us with a debut event in 2027, but Iām not sure anyone is losing sleep over that silliness.
That said, Coker and Co. may need to find the black ASAP, as $60 million in funding may only be enough to last them one year in the live events business.
Coker is widely-recognized as the most fighter-friendly promoter in the industry but faces stiff competition from UFC and now MVP MMA in terms of available real estate. Thereās also the GFL clown show that continues to threaten us with a debut event in 2027, but Iām not sure anyone is losing sleep over that silliness.
That said, Coker and Co. may need to find the black ASAP, as $60 million in funding may only be enough to last them one year in the live events business.
Why bother. He will just sell it again later.
Everyone is riding high off the MVP numbers, but I swear those have to be a mirage. The amount of casuals, and one off viewers would be a huge percentage of the viewers for that event I would think. The accessibility of Netflix, Jake Paul subscribers, unnaturally overinflate the views. These are not people that will consistently tune in to watch fights. I just donāt see how a startup can be successful with the consumer market how it is.
All true
But it sounds like Coker had this in motion well before the MVP event.
Even if it doesnāt last long Iām excited to see the possibilities.
coker is great. a half decent mma promoter looks like a saint compared to what we have now.
Iāve always thought he looked like an old BJ Penn
epic
It would be interesting to interview the casuals that tuned in to watch this - did they enjoy it? Wpuld they watch again? Iām
A fight fan so I canāt imagine not wanting to watch it but the average guy? Hard to say
I always appreciated Cokerās approach to running an MMA org compared to Dana. Hopefully he comes with something that alleviates the stagnation I think is out there in MMA to date.