'Unfinished business' - Coker's bid to shake up MMA — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Scott Coker is launching Ki MMA, his first MMA venture since leaving Bellator, which PFL acquired in 2023 before phasing out the brand and merging with Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions.
- Ki MMA is backed by $60 million (£44.7m) in funding and will host a 32-fighter featherweight tournament across North America, Europe, Asia, and South America, with Coker planning to sign free agents within two to three months.
- Coker said he sees an opening because the UFC just began a seven-year Paramount broadcast deal and "PFL was shaking a bit," positioning Ki MMA as an alternative in a landscape he calls "a bit of a funk."
- Ki MMA events will be held in a ring rather than a cage — a format Coker says improves viewing and mirrors Japan's Pride promotion, which he calls the "birthplace of MMA."
- Coker pointed to his track record building stars at Strikeforce, including Daniel Cormier and Ronda Rousey, as proof of his "star searching" credentials, saying his team is already scouting gyms in Tokyo and Paris for "diamonds in the rough."
Why it matters: Coker is injecting $60 million and a 32-fighter tournament into an MMA market where the UFC just locked in a seven-year Paramount deal and PFL's post-Bellator, post-MVP direction remains unclear. His pledge to sign free agents within two to three months will be the first concrete test of whether fighters buy the pitch.
Ask SkimNews
