Scott Coker shared his thoughts on tournaments in MMA and revealed why they still matter. Coker explained the purpose of a tournament, as well as how tournaments generate interest. The former Bellator president believes tournaments are an effective method in building stars.
Coker, 63, is no stranger to tournaments. His promotions were known for Grand Prix tournaments, which typically lasted a full year.
In Bellator, Coker added another element by including the division’s champion, who would defend their title throughout the bracket. That was an effective change, as the division would progress rather than being held up while the champion awaited a winner.
Now, Coker aims to feature tournaments once again with his new MMA promotion. That promotion officially launches next year.
Scott Coker Reveals Why Tournaments Still Matter in MMA
Although the tournament format was phased out of PFL, Scott Coker believes tournaments still matter in MMA. He recalled past tournaments, particularly PRIDE FC, which he said had had a lasting impact.
Coker credits tournaments for being a valuable tool for promotions to build stars.
“You know what I love? When Showtime did that Super Six. That was awesome, dude. When I grew up watching MMA, guess what? It was a tournament. At the end of the year they had the finals. Pride had two divisions: heavyweight division and then a welterweight division,” Coker told Ring Champs. “At the end, the final fight on the first week of December every year, Tokyo Dome sold out, 50,000 people. You had to fight three times in one night. Single elimination, one night.”
He continued:
“It’s still going on. I saw one of the best fights in those. And tournaments, as you guys know, build stars, which I’m really interested in,” he said. “Not only the fights, but what about the storytelling between the fights that you can create now? And keep that storyline going all year long. So if you’re winning, guess what? By the end of the year, you’re gonna be a big star.”
The Bellator Grand Prix brought more exposure to some of Coker’s young homegrown stars, including AJ McKee and Usman Nurmagomedov. The tournaments also helped establish Bellator’s top fighters, including Vadim Nemkov and Douglas Lima.
Coker Reveals How His New Promotion Will Benefit
Coker also revealed how his new MMA promotion will benefit from a tournament. His promotion’s name and format will be unveiled at a special event on Sep. 14.
Coker said his promotion will have a strong distribution deal in major markets, which can give fighters competing in the tournament a lot more exposure.
“I’m not just looking for the next U.S. star. This company will have TV deals in Japan. We’ll have TV deals in Korea, we’ll have TV deals in China, we’ll have TV deals here in North America, we’ll have TV deals in Europe, we’ll have deals in the CIS territories, we’ll have deals with Globo in Brazil. I mean, to me, martial arts is worldwide. Just like boxing, it’s worldwide. There’s no geographical boundaries,” Coker told Ring Champs.
Scott Coker Reveals the Real Reason Tournaments Still Matter in MMA