June 18, 2014 was the date Scott Coker was named the new President of Bellator MMA. That twas the day I knew there was hope for continued growth in my beloved sport of Mixed Martial Arts. The UFC had bought up all of the significant competition over the years. Pride FC, World Extreme Cagefighting, World Fighting Alliance, and Coker’s own promotion, Strikeforce. There was no more real competition left, let alone any other entertaining promotions that weren’t under the UFC banner. Sure, Bellator had been around since 2008, but under the helm of former CEO Bjorn Rebney they had failed to really step into the #2 spot after the UFC’s purchase of Strikeforce in 2011.
Why Scott Coker Will Make Bellator Great
